Preface, vii
List of contributors, ix

1 Background, 1

Part I:

2 Autoecology, 15
3 Vegetation and biodiversity, 25
4 Case study: A trip to regions of biodiversity and rainforest in Riviera Maya, 31
5 Plant traits, 42
6 Leaf traits, 74
7 Wood characteristics, 83
8 Phenology, 111
9 Phenology, morphology and variability in pollen viability of four woody species (Cordia boissieri, Parkinsonia texana, P. aculeata and Leucophyllum frutescens) exposed to environmental temperature, north-eastern Mexico, 124
10 Pollen biology and plant productivity: A review, 133
11 Seed characteristics, 158
12 Tree mortality, 162
13 Plant traits related to the productivity of trees, 168

Part II:

14 Ecophysiology, 181
15 Research advances in plant ecophysiology, 190
16 Carbon capture, carbon sequestration and carbon fixation, 199
17 Plant nutrients, 220
18 Litterfall and forest productivity, 238
19 Nutrient cycling, 244
20 Plant water relations and forest productivity, 248
21 Cold tolerance of trees, 261
22 Heat stress tolerance of trees, 266
23 Seed characteristics, seed dormancy, germination and plant propagation, 270
24 Root growth, 278
25 Features of boreal forest in Russia: A special study, 285
26 Case study: Autoecology, biodiversity and adaptive characteristics of Prosopis in the Arizona region, 312

Appendix 1: Leaf Morphology, 325
Index, 333