Plant responses to fluctuating UV environments.

Abstract

This chapter reviews research to date on what is known about the prevalence and mechanisms of plant responses to short-term fluctuations in UV exposure and explores the possible adaptive and ecological significance of these responses. The chapter addresses only changes in total UV irradiances and not shifts in spectral quality, which can be associated with fluctuating UV conditions particularly in understorey environments. The emphasis is on physiological responses to UV, specifically on UV screening protection as this is a primary avenue of UV acclimation and one of the most frequently documented and readily observable responses to UV in plants.