© Society for Experimental Biology 2006
Preface
The question of how plants respond to changes in their environment remains a fascination for plant biologists, with the study of plant responses to long-term changes in environment receiving increasing attention. The desire to understand the mechanisms that lead to acclimation and evolution of diversity in the face of environmental change prompted the ‘Phenotypic Plasticity and the Changing Environment’ session at the SEB Plant Frontiers meeting at the University of Sheffield in March 2005. This session dealt with the diverse range of molecular, biochemical, morphological, and anatomical phenotypes exhibited by individual plants when grown in contrasting environments. Plastic response of a broad range of taxa and evolutionary lineages were considered (e.g. cyanobacteria, CAM, C4 and C3 plants, with the latter including representatives of several functional groups). Above- and below-ground organs were also considered. The session took place over two days and consisted of 20 talks and a session devoted to the presentation of 20 posters. In this Special Issue, 17 papers are presented that cover the range of topics discussed at the meeting.The meeting opened by considering how cyanobacteria meet the challenges of acquiring CO2 in variable aquatic conditions (Badger et al.) and the molecular mechanisms by which cyanobacteria sense abiotic stress (Murata and Suzuki). It then moved on to consider phenotypic plasticity of C4 and CAM plants when challenged with contrasting environments (Borland et al.; Sage and McKown), after which stomatal responses to changes in atmospheric CO2 were considered (Driscoll et al.). Systemic signalling and resultant changes in leaf phenotypes (in response to atmospheric CO2 and irradiance) were considered in several presentations that are also presented in this Special Issue (Coupe et al.; Miyazawa et al.; Terashima et al.); collectively, these papers highlight how leaves can alter their phenotype in response to a change in their surrounding environment, even though those leaves did not directly experience environmental change. Impacts of temperature on phenotypic plasticity were considered in several talks, where focus was placed on the response of individual organelles, intact leaves and whole plants (Atkin et al.; Hikosaka et al.). The extent to which shade and sun leaves within a forest canopy differ in construction costs and payback times is dealt with by Poorter et al. The impact of submergence on leaf phenotypes was discussed (Mommer et al.), as was the role of sugars in regulating leaf senescence (Wingler et al.). The session ended by considering plastic responses of roots to variations in nutrient supply and soil physical conditions (Bengough et al.; Ashley et al.; Hodge; Shane et al.).
A feature of the meeting was the highly enjoyable and thoughtful discussions that took place throughout, and the willingness of more senior participants to discuss ideas with younger scientists. The generous support of the Journal of Experimental Botany made the meeting possible, as did the support of the SEB.
CiteULike 
Connotea 
Del.icio.us What's this?
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||