Environmental Signal Processing and Adaptation

Animals and plants live in changing environmental conditions which require adaptation in order to cope with this. Some of these environmental changes serve as signals which have to be "sensed" and interpreted correctly by the organisms to initiate the adaptation. This signal processing is based on biochemical, molecular and neuronal processes which are discussed in this book. All examples given underline that continuous adjustment of physiological functions is an essential requirement for life and survival in complex changing environments.

Environmental Signal Processing and Adaptation.- Communication and Efficiency in the Symbiotic Signal Exchange.- Rhizosphere Signals and Ecochemistry.- Endomycorrhizas in the Gentianales: Structures and Evolution of the Vesicular-Arbuscular Mycorrziza (VAM).- Light Adaptation of the Photosynthetic Apparatus of Green Algae.- Light-Harvesting Systems in the Photosynthetic Apparatus of Cyanobacteria, Red Algae and Cryptophytes.- Thioredoxins: Adapting Plant Metabolism to Light and Other Environmental Signals.- Photoinhibition in Seaweeds.- The Auditory-Vibratory Sensory System in Bushcrickets I. Comparison of Morphology, Development and Physiology.- The Auditory-Vibratory Sensory System in Bushcrickets II. Signal Production and Acoustic Behavior.- Mechanisms for Seasonal Control of Reproduction in Small Mammals.- Role of Photoperiod During Seasonal Acclimation in Winter-Active Small Mammals.