Physical, chemical and biological processes in plant canopies are described from basics to applications

The chapters of the book describe the basic background of the specific topic and provides equations that are indispensable for its quantitative understanding

The book is designed primarily for graduate students and beginning scientists interested in measuring and modeling vegetation performance

Physical Processes in Leaf Canopies.- 1. Light Distribution.- 2. Leaf Energy Balance: Basics, and Modeling from Leaves to Canopies.- Physiological Processes from Leaves to Canopies.- 3. Modeling Leaf Gas Exchange.- 4. Within-canopy Variations in Functional Leaf Traits: Structural, Chemical and Ecological Controls and Diversity of Responses.- 5. Regulation of Leaf Traits in Canopy Gradients.- Whole-plant Processes in Leaf Canopies.- 6. Photomorphogenesis and Photoreceptors.-

7. Forest Canopy Hydraulics.- 8. Simulating Crop Growth and Development using Functional-Structural Plant Modeling.- Assessments of Vegetation Functioning.- 9. Modeling Canopy Photosynthesis.- 10. Observation and Modeling of Net Ecosystem Carbon Exchange over Canopy.- 11. Remote Sensing of Vegetation: Potentials, Limitations, Developments and Applications.- 12. Biometric-based Estimations of Net Primary Production (NPP) in Forest Ecosystems.- Application to Ecological and Evolutionary Processes.- 13. Optimization and Game Theory in Canopy Models.- 14. The Use of Canopy Models to Analyze Light Competition among Plants.- 15. Axiomatic Plant Ecology- Reflections toward a Unified Theory for Plant Productivity.