Energy, Plants and Man [Paperback]

Second Edition

A comprehensive presentation of the basic concepts of photosynthesis together with a discussion of the greenhouse effect, global warming, renewable resources, pollution and the consequences of increasing populations. Written as much for the lay reader as a sixth-form student or university undergraduate

Paper, 277 pages

"The most refreshing and fun book I have ever read in the field of science. This book is a landmark and a major breakthrough in science writing." Govindjee, Professor of Plant Biology & Biophysics, University of Illinois at Urbana.

" The author is a distinguished botanist and an authority on photosynthesis so, as would be expected, this is a sound and scholarly account of the energy storage process of photosynthesis that occurs in the green leaf. As such it is one of the best accounts of the subject and certainly the most readable" "The science is told from the beginning with an introduction to atoms and molecules, oxidation and reduction, thermodynamics and light followed by botany and biochemistry. All these are necessary to any account of photosynthesis but how can they be presented in a single volume for a lay reader without giving that reader acute indigestion? How can one avoid being shallow without leading the reader too quickly into deep water? First the style of writing is such that one can dip into most sections of the book and learn something without having read everything that went before.. In this repect it is like a bedside book and the resemblance is made closer by the numerous quotations and illustrations. In particular there are many lively cartoons –on almosyt every page- drawn by the author’s son Richard, which provide vital buoyancy to the reader who begins to feel out of his depth." "Very good value for money."

Lord George Porter, PPRS, OM, Nobel Laureate, Imperial College, London.

Contents

1. Fundamentals - Matter and Energy. Atoms, Molecules and Bonds; Oxidation and Reduction; The Sourceof Organic Carbon; Products of Photosynthesis; Chemical Compostion of Leaves; Energy Transductions in Photosynthesis; The Laws of Thermodynamics.

2. Where it All Starts. Solar Energy; The Sun; The Nature of Light; The Energy Content of Light; Units; Light Intensity; Availability of Solar Energy; Light as an Energy Carrrier; Fluorescence; Quenching Analysis.

3. Harvesting the Sun. Photoreceptors; Photosynthetic Units; Light-harvesting Antennae; Chlorophyll Protein Complexes; PSI and PSII Reaction Centres; Electron Carriers; Beyond PSI, Starch Pictures; Structure of Chloroplast.

4. Assimilatory Power. Reduction of NADP; Z-Scheme; Non-Cyclic or Linear Electron Transport; Cyclic Electron Transport; Hydrolysis ATP; Assimilatory Power; Utilization of Assimilatory Power

5.The Dark Biochemistry. C3 Photosynthesis; Photosynthetic Carbon Assimilation; Calvin Cycle; End Product and Autocatalysis; Energy Inputs; Stoichiometries;Photorespiration; Oxygenation; C4 Photosynthesis; C4 Plants; Crassulacean Acid Metabolism; Dark Acidification;Light Deacidification; Energy Costs.

6. Of Plants and Men. Eating Potatoes; Defying Thermodynamics; Rods, Poles and Perches; Sunbeams into Cucumbers; Oil into Potatoes; Photsynthetic Efficiency; Standing Crop Efficiency; Roofs and Ceilings; The Need for Dissipaton; Acid Bath Technology.

7. Doom and Gloom. The Greenhouse Effect; Greenhouse Gases.

8. Consequences and Uncertainties. The Missing Sink; Will Temperatures Rise and Catastrophe Folow? Can Population be Maintained? Malthus Revisited; What will happen if we get it wrong?; How will Rising Carbon Dioxide Affect Plants? Carbon Dioxide as a Fertilizer; Increased Water Use Efficiency.

9. Is There Another Way? Procreation and Population; An Inversion of Ends and Means;Going Critical; The Virtue of Thrift; World Energy Conservation. Help? Renewable Resources; Looking at Alternatives; Ocean Energy; Photovoltaics; The Rain Forest; Biofuels; Hydrogen Power.