Concepts in Photobiology, Softcover reprint of the original 1st ed. 1999
Photosynthesis and Photomorphogenesis

Photobiology is an important area of biological research since a very large number of living processes are either dependent on or governed by light that we receive from the Sun. Among various subjects, photosynthesis is one of the most important, and thus a popular topic in both molecular and organismic biology, and one which has made a considerable impact throughout the world since almost all life on Earth depends upon it as a source of food, fuel and oxygen. However, for growth of plants, light is equally essential, and research on photomorphogenesis has revealed exciting new developments with the application of newer molecular biological approaches. The present book brings together and integrates various aspects of photosynthesis, biology of pigments, light regulation of chloroplast development, nuclear and chloroplast gene expression, light signal transduction, other photomorphogenetic processes and some photoecological aspects under one cover. The chapters cover biochemical and molecular discussions of most of the above topics in a comprehensive manner and include a wide range of `hot topics' that are currently under investigation in the field of photobiology of cyanobacteria, algae and plants.
The authors of this book are selected international authorities in their fields from USA, Europe, Australia and Asia. The book is designed primarily to be used as a text book by graduates and post-graduates. It is, however, also intended to be a resource book for new researchers in plant photobiology. Several introductory chapters are designed as suitable reading for undergraduate courses in integrative and molecular biology, biochemistry and biophysics.

1. Introduction to Photobiology, Photosynthesis and Photomorphogenesis.- 2. The Photosynthetic Process.- 3. Basic Principles of Photophysics and Photochemistry.- 4. Models of the Light Reaction of Photosynthesis.- 5. Structure and Function of Phycobilisomes.- 6. Architecture of the Thylakoid Membrane.- 7. Biology of Photosystem I: Structural aspects.- 8. Function and Molecular Genetics of Photosystem I.- 9. Polypeptides of Photosystem II: Structure and function.- 10. Mechanism of Photosynthetic Water Cleavage.- 11. Synthetic Catalyst for Non-biological Water Oxidation: Comparison to the photosynthetic water oxidation complex.- 12. The Electrochemical Properties of the Thylakoid Membrane.- 13. Photophosphorylation.- 14. Carbon Dioxide Metabolism in Photosynthesis.- 15. Acclimation of Photosynthesis to the Environment.- 16. How Higher Plants Respond to Excess Light: Energy dissipation in photosystem II.- 17. Photoregulation and Photoprotection of the Photosystem II Reaction Centre Heterodimer.- 18. Molecular Adaptation to Irradiance: The dual functionality of photosystem II.- 19. UV-effects on Plants.- 20. Elevated Temperature Stress Effects on Photosystems: Characterization and evaluation of the nature of heat induced impairments.- 21. Salt Tolerance Engineering—Which are the essential mechanisms.- 22. Oxidative Stress in Photodynamic Herbicidal Action of 5-aminolevulinic Acid.- 23. Molecular Biology of Chloroplast Genome.- 24. Regulation of Plastid Gene Expression.- 25. Phytochromes: Molecular structure, photoreceptor process and physiological function.- 26. Blue Light Perception and Signal Transduction in Higher Plants.- 27. UV-B Effects in Plants: receptors and targets.- 28. Photomorphogenesis in Lower Plants.- 29. The Photoperiodic Control of Plant Reproduction.-30. Light Signal Transduction and Nuclear Gene Expression.- 31. Use of Mutants and Transgenics in Understanding Photomorphogenesis.