Ecophysiology of Tropical Plants

Plants in tropical regions are coping with enormous challenges of physiological stresses owing to changing environmental and climatic conditions. The rapid growth of the human population and rampant exploitation of fossil fuels and other developmental activities are actively contributing to such perturbations.

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has projected a sustained increase in carbon dioxide emissions and thereby a rise in global temperature in the coming decades. The resultant changes in precipitation patterns are now evident across the globe due to the intensification of the hydrological cycle. Moreover, gaseous and particulate pollutants are also an immense challenge for tropical plants. Such vagaries in environmental conditions have significant impacts on the ecophysiological traits of plants, resulting from altered interactions of tropical plants with each other, as well as other biotic and abiotic components within the ecosystem.

Books available in the market that particularly focus on the ecophysiological responses of tropical plants to abiotic and biotic environmental factors under climate change are limited. This book intends to fill this knowledge gap and provides a detailed analysis of the ecophysiological responses of tropical plants to these environmental challenges, as well as suggesting some approachable measures for plant adaptations to these challenges. The book is equally applicable to undergraduate and postgraduate students, researchers, teachers and forest managers, and policymakers.

Salient features of the book are:
1. A comprehensive discussion on the adaptive mechanisms of plants through their ecophysiological responses to various biotic and abiotic stresses
2. Elaboration on the recent techniques involved in ecophysiological research
3. A detailed account of the evolutionary responses of plants to changing climate
4. Discussion of recent research results and some pointers to future advancements in ecophysiological research
5. Presentation of information in a way that is accessible for students, researchers, and teachers practising in plant physiology and ecology.

Section 1: Tropical Plants and Changing Climate Scenarios
Chapter 1. Plant Adaptations in Dry Tropical Biomes: An Ecophysiological Perspective
Chapter 2. Evolutionary Responses of Tropical Plants to Changing Climate
Chapter 3. Ecophysiological Responses of Tropical Plants to Changing Climate

Section 2: Tropical Plants Responses to Atmospheric Deposition and Air Pollutants
Chapter 4. Impacts of Air Pollutants on the Ecophysiology of Tropical Plants
Chapter 5. Impact of Nitrogen Oxides on Tropical Plants
Chapter 6. Impact of Particulate Matter on the Ecophysiology of Plants
Chapter 7. Ecophysiological Responses of Tropical Plants to Rising Air Pollution: A Perspective for Urban Areas

Section 3: Tropical Plants Responses to Varying Resource Availability
Chapter 8. Ecophysiological Responses of Tropical Plants to Varying Resources Availability
Chapter 9. Soil Nutrient Reservoir in a Changing Climate Scenario
Chapter 10. Abiotic Stress Responses of a Tropical Plant: Sugarcane (Saccharum Species)
Chapter 11. Effects of Rising Temperature on Flower Production and Pollen Viability in a Widespread Tropical Tree Species, Muntingia calabura
Chapter 12. Ecophysiological and Morphological Adaptations of Plants under Temperature Stress: Influence of Phytohormones
Chapter 13. Ecophysiological Response of Dipterocarp Seedlings to Ectomycorrhizal Colonisation: A Fungicide Addition Study
Chapter 14. Ecophysiological Responses of Tropical Plants to Changing Concentrations of Carbon Dioxide

Section 4: Ecophysiological Responses of Tropical Plants to Disturbance Events
Chapter 15. Fire and Ecophysiological Responses of Tropical Plants
Chapter 16. Climate Change-Mediated Fire Effects on Community Structure and the Physio-Anatomical Adaptations of Plants in Tropical Savannas

Section 5: Ecophysiology and Geoclimatic Factors
Chapter 17. Adaptation of Fruit Trees to Different Elevations in the Tropical Andes
Chapter 18. Impact of Altitudinal Shifts and Climatic Changes on Ecophysiological Responses of Tropical Plants

Section 6: Emerging Techniques in Ecophysiological Research
Chapter 19. An Overview of Emerging Techniques in Ecophysiological Research
Chapter 20. A Critical Review of Different Methods of Estimation of the Above-Ground Biomass and Carbon Stocks in India
Chapter 21. Brassinosteroid Hormones: A Promising Strategy for Abiotic Stress Management in Plants under Changing Climate
Chapter 22. Phytohormones: Role in Ecophysiological Responses of Tropical Plants to Varying Resource Availability
Chapter 23. Next-Generation Techniques in Ecophysiology: Metabolomics, Proteomics, SAR/QSAR
Chapter 24. Markers of Oxidative Stress in Plants