Plants to ecosystems

Computational studies in life sciences not only provide a new way of complementing experimental studies; they also offer a practical means of bringing immediate financial gains in the competitive world of medical technology, drug design, agrochemicals, agriculture and food production. The methods presented in this book are tools for modelling, visualizing and studying the growth, dynamics and ageing of plants and marine sessile organisms. The methodology takes into account external factors like soil water flow, soil porosity, plant hormones, fertilizers and even the damage caused by insects to the plant. Prospective applications include: computer assisted landscape architecture, design of new varieties of plants, crop yield prediction, optimal fertilization planning, watering and pest control, and bush-fire modelling. Computer modelling narrows the range of time consuming real-world experiments otherwise required. It is important for use in research, education and decision-making - images, animation and interactive systems are now central to developmental biology, remote sensing, biodiversity, ecology and conservation. Applications include plant - landscape interactions such as predicting the geographic distribution of species, simulating community dynamics, analysing species viability, matching crops to suitable farming districts, locating rare species, relocating endangered species and predicting possible effects of climate change. The aim of this collection is to present the conceptual and methodological view of plant modelling as it is currently developing