How Do I Go Into Integrative Physiology?

There are two interpretations of ecological physiology. One is that ecological physiology is physiological ecology; the other is that ecological physiology is a marginal subject between plant ecology and plant physiology. It uses the perspective of plant ecology and uses the methods of plant physiology and Technology to study the regularity of the relationship between the environment and plants. ^[1]

Ecological physiology is a marginal subject between plant ecology and plant physiology, and provides a theoretical basis and methods for the study of plant ecology. ^[2]

As mentioned earlier, plant ecological physiology aims to elucidate the mechanisms of plant survival, distribution, abundance, and their interaction with other organisms. Why do species grow in specific places? How does a plant survive successfully in response to a specific environment? Why can't plants survive in other environments? These questions were originally raised by geographers describing the distribution of plants. They observed that different environments have their associated plant morphological distributions, and they believe that morphological differences are important to explain the distribution of plants. Therefore, meteorologists can predict the dominant plant types in a certain place. For example, the leaves of many desert plants are small and thick. This reduces the risk of heat and overheating in hot environments, while the leaves of shade plants are often large and thin to maximize light exposure. These morphological observations can provide motivation for studying the physiological characteristics of plants in different physical environments.

Although ecophysiologists initially focused on physiological responses to abiotic environments (such as calcareous and acid soils, drought and flooding), in physioecological studies, they can We have a better understanding of the physiological interactions between microorganisms. From this we can see that ecological physiology knowledge is an essential element for the academic growth of every ecologist.

Another impetus for the development of ecophysiology comes from agriculture and physiology. Currently, even in industrialized countries, agricultural production is only achieving about 25% of its maximum potential due to drought, soil infertility, and other environmental stresses. The main goal of agricultural research has always been to cultivate environmentally insensitive crops so that they can withstand adverse weather or can be grown in uncomfortable environments. It is for this reason that agronomists and physiologists have been studying the mechanisms of plants' responses to environmental stress and resistance. Some plants can grow in extremely barren, arid, or saline-alkali environments, which has stimulated the curiosity of physiologists: What is the mechanism for plants to survive these adversities?

Ecophysiology studies the physiological response of plants to the environment. As an unexplored interface between ecology and physiology, ecological physiology has developed rapidly. Ecology raises questions, while physiology provides tools for clear mechanisms. Techniques for measuring plant microenvironment, water relations, and carbon exchange patterns have become common tools in ecological physiology research. Over time, these studies have gone deeper and deeper from the whole plant to analyzing physiological adaptations at the biochemical and molecular levels. Sexual mechanisms, for example, plant growth was initially studied from changes in plant biomass. The development of a portable device that measures leaf gas exchange has been successful, enabling ecologists to determine the rate of carbon gain and loss from a single leaf while growing. The analysis can analyze the carbon and nutrient allocation of roots and leaves, and the production and death rates of various tissues. These processes contribute to a more comprehensive understanding of the differences in plant growth in different environments. Studies on plant water relationships and mineral nutrition can clarify the control mechanisms of phosphorus exchange and tissue transformation. Recently, photosynthesis and respiration in different environments Biochemical basis, especially the molecular basis of key protein differences in photosynthesis and respiration. A lot of research progress has been made. This main body of ecological physiology has successfully revealed the relationship between plant growth and the environment.

Although there are as many as 2.7 million species of land plants, after a series of eliminations, most species have been eliminated in specific areas, leaving only a small part of them. There are many species in a given plant community that have never existed in history. These species may have evolved in a different area, but have never spread to the study area. For example, the tropical high mountains of South America and the tropical high mountains of Africa have similar plant species, although the environmental conditions are similar; and the composition of plant species in eastern Russia and Alaska is very close, because Pleistocene glaciers lowered sea levels 20,000 to 100,000 years ago At the same time, the species migrated through the continental shelf connecting the two places.

Many plant species that have entered different places lack the corresponding physiological characteristics to survive in specific environments. For example, when whalers and other ships arrived on some islands, they brought many alternate types of weed seeds to Svalbard, Norway and Barrow, North Alaska. However, the same heterogeneous weed species are not currently found between these Arctic and sailing ports. It is clear that the physical environment has eliminated many plant species that lack the physiological characteristics to grow, survive and reproduce in the Arctic.

Biological interactions perform another elimination effect, which eliminates many plant species that arrive and can survive in this physical environment. Historically, the introduction of European chestnut virus in North America eliminated the American chestnut, which was once the dominant tree species in the eastern forests of the Americas. On the other hand, when a plant species is introduced to a new place, and there are diseases and herbivores that limit its distribution, such as without origin, this plant will become an invasive species, such as Australian cactus, European alfalfa, North America Gorse and Gum from South Africa. Due to biological interactions, the actual distribution of a species (the actual habitat is determined by the ecological amplitude) is smaller than the range of conditions under which it can grow and reproduce (the basic ecology is determined by the physiological amplitude). Historical, physiological, and biological obsolescence is constantly changing, and they interact with each other. Human and natural intervention, species extinction and sudden outbreaks (such as volcanic eruptions and floods) have caused changes in the species pools that exist in a certain area. Climate change, soil weathering, and the introduction and extinction of species will all change the physical and biological environment. Species that can grow and reproduce in the new environment, or those that adapt physiological processes to the growing environment during evolution, can survive. As a result of these eliminations, existing species in specific areas are those that have arrived and are viable. Therefore, it cannot be considered that species in a certain area perform best under these conditions. In fact, some studies in controlled environments have shown that, because biological interactions prevent most species from inhabiting the most favorable environment, the most common phenomenon is that most physiological processes in which a particular species are located belong to a sub-optimal environment condition.

Plant ecophysiology has several potentially important new contributions to biology. The exponentially increasing population is increasingly demanding food and fiber. Currently, almost all of the best farmland is used for production, and it is declining due to urban expansion. Therefore, it has become increasingly urgent to identify traits or conditions that can maximize grain and fiber production in both production and non-production areas. Breed varieties that can effectively grow under conditions of insufficient water and nutrients. This is particularly important in some developing countries, which often lack economic and transportation resources to support highly intensive agricultural production. Although molecular biology and traditional breeding techniques provide tools for breeding varieties with comprehensive good traits, ecophysiology may be a more suitable area for determining the costs, benefits, and consequences of changing these characteristics, as all plants are associated with complex environments Made by.

Previous ecophysiological studies have elaborated many differences in important physiological processes between plant species, as well as various mechanisms by which plants can survive in specific environments. However, these physiological processes are greatly affected by different conditions such as covering the soil, removing plants or soil microorganisms' original effective nutrients, and transporting water from the soil to the atmosphere to cause the soil to dry and humidify the atmosphere. The plant effect described above may be very large, which helps people understand its mechanism of action on a larger scale, such as in communities, ecosystems, and meteorological processes. For example, different forests with different species composition will have large differences in productivity and nutrient cycling rate; and simulation models show that differences in stomata conduction and rooting depth between species will significantly affect regional and continental levels. Climate, which is the same as human activities that have significantly altered the species composition of major regions of the world. It is therefore necessary to understand the ecological basis of communities, ecosystems and global processes. ^[2]