Erwin Beck

This completely updated and revised second edition provides a unique and up-to-date treatment of all aspects of plant ecology, making it an ideal textbook and reference work for students, researchers and practitioners. More than 500 high-quality images and drawings, mostly in colour, aid readers’ understanding of various key topics, while the clear structure and straightforward style make it user friendly and particularly useful for students. Written by leading experts, it offers authoritative information, including relevant references. While Plant Ecology primarily addresses graduate students in biology and ecology, it is also a valuable resource for post-graduate students and researchers in botany, environmental sciences and landscape ecology, as well as all those whose study or work touches on agriculture, forestry, land use, and landscape management. Key Topics: - Molecular ecophysiology (molecular stress physiology: light, temperature, oxygen deficiency, water deficit (drought), unfavorable soil mineral conditions, biotic stress) - Physiological and biophysical plant ecology (ecophysiology of plants: thermal balance, water, nutrient, carbon relations) - Ecosystem ecology (characteristics of ecosystems, approaches how to study and how to model terrestrial ecosystems, biogeochemical fluxes in terrestrial ecosystems) - Community ecology and biological diversity (development of plant communities in time and space, interactions between plants and plant communities with the abiotic and the biotic environment, biodiversity and ecosystem functioning) - Global ecology (global biogeochemical cycles, Dynamic Global Vegetation Models, global change and terrestrial ecosystems)

Aufgabe der Lehrperson ist es, unter bestm glicher Ber cksichtigung der Unterrichtsziele, der Lernvoraussetzungen der Sch lerinnen und Sch ler und des didaktischen, diagnostischen, sach- und klassenbezogenen Wissens den Unterricht so zu gestalten, dass viele Sch lerinnen und Sch ler m glichst optimal lernen. Diese h chst anspruchsvolle Anpassungsleistung nennen wir "'adaptive Lehrkompetenz." In einem vom Schweizerischen Nationalfonds unterst tzten dreij hrigen Forschungsprojekt der P dagogischen Hochschule des Kantons St. Gallen und der P dagogischen Hochschule Z rich mit 50 Schulklassen wurde das Konzept der "adaptiven Lehrkompetenz" als Voraussetzung f r den Umgang mit Heterogenit t und Individualit t im schulischen Lernen untersucht. Die Ziele des Forschungsprojekts bestanden darin, das Wissen von Lehrpersonen ber die Gestaltung eines verstehensorientierten Unterrichts zu analysieren, das Konstrukt der adaptiven Lehrkompetenz zu kl ren, in einer Interventionsstudie die adaptive Lehrkompetenz zu f rdern und die Wirkungen von adaptiver Planungs- und Handlungskompetenz auf den Unterricht und das schulische Lernen zu berpr fen.

This textbook covers Plant Ecology from the molecular to the global level. It covers the following areas in unprecedented breadth and depth: - Molecular ecophysiology (stress physiology: light, temperature, oxygen deficiency, drought, salt, heavy metals, xenobiotica and biotic stress factors)- Autecology (whole plant ecology: thermal balance, water, nutrient, carbon relations)- Ecosystem ecology (plants as part of ecosystems, element cycles, biodiversity)- Synecology (development of vegetation in time and space, interactions between vegetation and the abiotic and biotic environment)- Global aspects of plant ecology (global change, global biogeochemical cycles, land use, international conventions, socio-economic interactions) The book is carefully structured and well written: complex issues are elegantly presented and easily understandable. It contains more than 500 photographs and drawings, mostly in colour, illustrating the fascinating subject. The book is primarily aimed at graduate students of biology but will also be of interest to post-graduate students and researchers in botany, geosciences and landscape ecology. Further, it provides a sound basis for those dealing with agriculture, forestry, land use, and landscape management.