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A new approach for modelling plant growth using the software AMAPpara is presented. This software takes into consideration knowledge about plant architecture which has been accumulated at the Plant Modelling Unit of CIRAD for several years, and introduces physiological concepts in order to simulate the dynamic functioning of trees. The plant is considered as a serial connection of vegetative organs which conduct water from the roots to the leaves. Another simple description of the plant as a network of parallel pipes is also presented which allows an analytical formulation of growth to be written. This recurring formula is used for very simple architectures and is useful to understand the role of each organ in water transport and assimilate production. Growth simulations are presented which show the influence of modifications in architecture on plant development. (Resume d'auteur)

Change in plants as bicarbonate rises Freshwater plants can be broadly divided into two major categories according to their photosynthetic traits: Some use carbon dioxide as their carbon source, whereas others use bicarbonate. Iversen et al. found that the relative concentrations of these two inorganic carbon forms in water determine the functional composition of plant communities across freshwater ecosystems (see the Perspective by Marcé and Obrador). They created global maps revealing that community composition is structured by catchment geology and not climate (in contrast to the terrestrial realm, where the trait composition is structured by temperature and rainfall). Anthropogenic influences from land-use change are causing large-scale increases in bicarbonate concentrations in freshwater catchments and are thus leading to wholesale changes in the composition of their aquatic plant communities. Unlike in land plants, photosynthesis in many aquatic plants relies on bicarbonate in addition to carbon dioxide (CO2) to compensate for the low diffusivity and potential depletion of CO2 in water. Concentrations of bicarbonate and CO2 vary greatly with catchment geology. In this study, we investigate whether there is a link between these concentrations and the frequency of freshwater plants possessing the bicarbonate use trait. We show, globally, that the frequency of plant species with this trait increases with bicarbonate concentration. Regionally, however, the frequency of bicarbonate use is reduced at sites where the CO2 concentration is substantially above the air equilibrium, consistent with this trait being an adaptation to carbon limitation. Future anthropogenic changes of bicarbonate and CO2 concentrations may alter the species compositions of freshwater plant communities. One sentence summary: The widespread photosynthetic trait of freshwater plants, bicarbonate use, has a global biogeography controlled by catchment characteristics

The photosynthetic rate of (Willd.), (Hedw.) and (Sw.) grown in plastic containers was monitored with infrared gas analyser in open air under natural weather conditions. It proved that the photosynthetic rate of wet moss cushions was satisfactorily predicted by temperature and light intensity. In dry moss cushions this kind of model gave too high an estimate for photosynthetic rate. Water requirements of each moss species were found to be moderate, and water content of moss cushions limited photosynthetic rate only under serious water deficiency.Pleurosium schreberiHylocomnium splendensDicranum undulatum

The aim of the present paper was to study the annual production of (Brid.) Mitt., (Hedw.) B.S.G and Sw. as a function of light available for photosynthesis. The productivity of the above moss species is studied using the harvested quadrats method in Norway spruce () stands of the site type representing different stand density classes (basal area from 0 to 34 m2/ha) in Southern Finland.Pleurozium schreberiHylocomnium splendensDicranum polysetumPicea abiesMyrtillus Pleurozium schreberiDicranum polysetumHylocomnium splendens

Light intensity inside the canopy varies considerably both in space and time. A new apparatus was developed which is disturbed as little as possible by the above-mentioned variation. The construction is based on the linear relationships between light intensity (measured using silicon diodes) and photosynthesis. This procedure permits linear operations (summing and integration) to be carried out on the output of the diodes without any loss of accuracy. There are five diodes in each assimilation chamber. A model, in which the independent variables include ligth, measured with the present equipment, and temperature, fits the photosynthetic rates well even inside the canopy. The PDF includes a summary in Finnish.

Data were collected over 3 yr during the growing season in a 20-yr-old stand at the Forestry Field Station of the University of Helsinki, Finland, to study the relations of photosynthesis and transpiration to environmental factors (irradiance, temperature, water content of soil and air) and metabolic processes.