Conifers--pine, fir, and spruce trees--are dominant species in forests around the world. This book focuses on the physiology of conifers and how these physiological systems operate. Special consideration is devoted to the means by which ecophysiological processes influence organismal function and distribution. Chapters focus on the genetics of conifers, their geographic distribution and the factors that influence this distribution, the impact of insect herbivory on ecophysiological parameters, the effects of air pollution, and the potential impact that global climatic changes will have upon conifers. Because of the growing realization that forests have a crucial role to play in global environmental health, this book will appeal to a developing union of ecologists, physiologists and more theoretically minded foresters.J.B. Mitton, Genetics and the Physiological Ecology of Conifers. L.J. Graumlich and L.B. Brubaker, Long-Term Records of Growth and Distribution of Conifers: Integration of Paleoecology and Physiological Ecology. W.J. Davies, Plant Hormones and Ecophysiology of Conifers. F.I. Woodward, Ecophysiological Controls of Conifer Distributions. W.M. Havranek and W. Tranquillini, Physiological Processes during Winter Dormancy and Their Ecological Significance. K.M. Clancy, M.R. Wagner, and P.B. Reich, Ecophysiology and Insect Herbivory. H. Margolis, R. Oren, D. Whitehead, and M. Kaufmann, Leaf Area Dynamics of Conifer Forests. P.B. Reich, T. Koike, S.T. Gower, and A.W. Schoettle, Causes andConsequences of Variation in Conifer Leaf Life Span. R. Matyssek, P. Reich, R. Oren, and W. Winner, Response Mechanism of Conifers to Air Pollutants. H. Gucinski, E. Vance, and B. Reiners, Ecophysiology of ConiflCĒ