Product Description

Penetration of light into aquatic ecosystems is greatly affected by the absorption and scattering processes that take place within the water. Thus within any water body, the intensity and color of the light field changes greatly with depth and this has a marked influence on both the total productivity of, and the kinds of plant that predominate in, the ecosystem. This study presents an integrated and coherent treatment of the key role of light in aquatic ecosystems. It ranges from the physics of light transmission within water, through the biochemistry and physiology of aquatic photosynthesis, to the ecological relationships that depend on the underwater light climate.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1449454 in Books
• Published on: 1994-05-27
• Original language: English
• Dimensions: 1.72 pounds
• Binding: Paperback
• 528 pages

Review
From reviews of the First Edition...

"...an admirable clear account...a monograph which is required reading for all those working on aquatic photosynthesis and productivity." New Phytologist

From reviews of the current edition...

"Light and Photosynthesis is a primer: one of the prices of admission to the field. The pages of my copy of the paperback first edition, which appeared in 1983, are dog-eared, soiled, and crumpled from the many consultations over the elapsed decade by my students as well as myself. It has been used for research, for lectures, and also for assigned reading in optical and biological oceanography courses. This edition is 25% longer than the first and contains approximately 80% more references to the primary literature. It is handily mapped with indices to symbols, organisms, water bodies, and subjects. The text is one of a kind--there are no competitors." J. Ramus, BioScience

"This new edition is nicely updated and richly referenced, providing extensive coverage of the physics of light and its capture by plants in the aquatic environment....an invaluable, detailed resource." Choice

"...essential reading for any student in biological oceanography and limnology....The scientific community owes John Kirk a debt of gratitude for laboring so long and with such loving care to produce a textbook that will surely stand as a classic in its field." Paul Falkowski, Quarterly Review of Biology

"...wonderful book. The worth of any library book can be judged by how much it has been signed out. In the first edition of Kirk's book, held in the Rosenstiel School's library, it has been checked out virtually constantly since 1985! I have no doubt that the second edition will see similar usage." William M. Balch, Bulletin of Marine Science

Book Info
Presents an integrated and coherent treatment of the key role of light in aquatic ecosystems. Author presents in a clear and effective style. Paper. DLC: Photosynthesis.