This title includes a number of Open Access chapters.In order to function and survive, plants produce a wide array of chemical compounds not found in other organisms. Photosynthesis requires a large array of pigments, enzymes, and other compounds to function, and these chemicals have multiple practical uses in the human world as well, with applicat

The Symposium 'Genetic Aspects of Photosynthesis' was sponsored by the Insti tute of Plant Physiology and Biophysics of the Tajik Academy of Sciences and the Scientific Councils of the Academy of Sciences of the U.S.S.R. on the problem of photosynthesis, genetics and selection, and also by the N.I. Vavilov All-Union Society of Geneticists and Selectionists. The Symposium took place in Dushanbe on October 17-24, 1972. 223 scientists attended, including 209 participants from different parts of the Soviet Union and 14 honoured guests from Australia, Czechoslovakia, Denmark, German Democratic Republic, Hungary and the U.S.A. They represented various fields of biological sciences: molecular biology, bio chemistry, genetics, cytology, radiobiology, biophysics, plant physiology, and selection. The chairmen of the ten symposial sessions were the leading Soviet scientists, B.L. ASTAUROV, A. A. NICHIPOROVICH, A. A. SHLYK, Yu. S. NASYROV, V. B. ,EVSTIGNEEV, O. V. ZALENSKI!, B. F. VANYUSHlN, N. P. VOSKRE SENSKA Y A, S. V. TAGEEV A and K. V. KVITKO. There were 57 speakers, and a further 40 experimental papers on the problems of genetic control of photosyn thesis were displayed on an exhibition of scientific research. Two special round table evening sessions were devoted to discussions on the mechanisms of the C 3 and C pathways of photosynthetic carbon metabolism and the structure of pho 4 tosynthetic membranes. The symposial sessions were concluded by a general dis cussion on the genetics of photosynthesis.

Photobiology is an important area of biological research since a very large number of living processes are either dependent on or governed by light that we receive from the Sun. Among various subjects, photosynthesis is one of the most important, and thus a popular topic in both molecular and organismic biology, and one which has made a considerable impact throughout the world since almost all life on Earth depends upon it as a source of food, fuel and oxygen. However, for growth of plants, light is equally essential, and research on photomorphogenesis has revealed exciting new developments with the application of newer molecular biological approaches. The present book brings together and integrates various aspects of photosynthesis, biology of pigments, light regulation of chloroplast development, nuclear and chloroplast gene expression, light signal transduction, other photomorphogenetic processes and some photoecological aspects under one cover. The chapters cover biochemical and molecular discussions of most of the above topics in a comprehensive manner and include a wide range of `hot topics' that are currently under investigation in the field of photobiology of cyanobacteria, algae and plants. The authors of this book are selected international authorities in their fields from USA, Europe, Australia and Asia. The book is designed primarily to be used as a text book by graduates and post-graduates. It is, however, also intended to be a resource book for new researchers in plant photobiology. Several introductory chapters are designed as suitable reading for undergraduate courses in integrative and molecular biology, biochemistry and biophysics.

The proteins that gather light for plant photosynthesis are embedded within cell membranes in a site called the thylakoid membrane (or the "photosynthetic membrane"). These proteins form the light harvesting antenna that feeds with energy a number of vital photosynthetic processes such as water oxidation and oxygen evolution, the pumping of protons across the thylakoid membranes coupled with the electron transport chain of the photosystems and cytochrome b6f complex, and ATP synthesis by ATP synthase utilizing the generated proton gradient. The Photosynthetic Membrane: Molecular Mechanisms and Biophysics of Light Harvesting is an introduction to the fundamental design and function of the light harvesting photosynthetic membrane, one of the most common and most important structures of life. It describes the underlying structure of the membrane, the variety and roles of the membrane proteins, the atomic structures of light harvesting complexes and their macromolecular assemblies, the molecular mechanisms and dynamics of light harvesting and primary energy transformations, and the broad range of adaptations to different light environments. The book shows, using the example of the photosynthetic membrane, how complex biological structures utilize principles of chemistry and physics in order to carry out biological functions. The Photosynthetic Membrane: Molecular Mechanisms of Light Harvesting will appeal to a wide audience of undergraduate and postgraduate students as well as researchers working in the fields of biochemistry, molecular biology, biophysics, plant science and bioengineering.

Increasing concerns of global climatic change have stimulated research in all aspects of carbon exchange. This has restored interest in leaf-photosynthetic models to predict and assess changes in photosynthetic CO2 assimilation in different environments. This is a comprehensive presentation of the most widely used models of steady-state photosynthesis by an author who is a world authority. Treatments of C3, C4 and intermediate pathways of photosynthesis in relation to environment have been updated to include work on antisense transgenic plants. It will be a standard reference for the formal analysis of photosynthetic metabolism in vivo by advanced students and researchers.

Black & white print. Concepts of Biology is designed for the typical introductory biology course for nonmajors, covering standard scope and sequence requirements. The text includes interesting applications and conveys the major themes of biology, with content that is meaningful and easy to understand. The book is designed to demonstrate biology concepts and to promote scientific literacy.