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The last 30 years has seen the development of increasingly sophisticated models that quantify canopy carbon exchange. These models are now essential parts of larger models for prediction and simulation of crop production, climate change, and regional and global carbon dynamics. There is thus an urgent need for increasing expertise in developing, use and understanding of these models. This in turn calls for an advanced, yet easily accessible textbook that summarizes the “canopy science” and introduces the present and the future scientists to the theoretical background of the current canopy models.This book presents current knowledge of functioning of plant canopies, models and strategies employed to simulate canopy function, and the significance of canopy architecture, physiology and dynamics in ecosystems, landscape and biosphere.

Photon-Vegetation Interactions deals with the interaction of electromagnetic radiation with vegetation canopies. The approach to the various aspects is mainly theoretical and consequently the subject is being treated as a special branch of mathematical physics. A major emphasis is on the development of theoretical methods for determining the reflection function of vegetation canopies in optical remote sensing. Furthermore, the coupling of the radiative transfer theory with leaf photosynthesis to evaluate the productivity of vegetation canopies is treated as well as the theory of photon transport in phototropic and other biological media.