This book provides a broad overview of solute transport in plants. It first determines what solutes are present in plants and what roles they play. The physical bases of ion and water movement are considered. The volume then discusses the ways in which solutes are moved across individual membranes, within and between cells, and around the plant. Having dealt with the role of plant solutes in ‘normal’ conditions, the volume proceeds to examine how the use of solutes has been adapted to more extreme environments such as hot, dry deserts, freezing mountains and saline marshes. A crucial stage in the life cycle of most plants, the internally-controlled dehydration concomitant with seed formation, is also addressed.
Throughout the volume the authors link our increasing understanding of the cellular and molecular bases of solute movement with the roles that these fulfil in the whole plant under both ideal and stressful conditions, showing how these are dictated by the physical laws that govern solute and water movement. The book is directed at postgraduates, researchers and professionals in plant physiology, biochemistry and molecular biology.