Preface. Editorial advisors. List of contributors. I. MORPHOLOGY, STAND STRUCTURE, AND COMPETITION. 1. Morphology in modern ecological research (W. Eber). 2. Vegetation structure, phytomass and phenology of the dry thorn scrub of Curaçao, West Indies (M.J.A. Werger, C. de Bok and B. Oranje). 3. Structure and phytomass production of a pioneer community (M. Jochimsen and D. Janzen). 4. Survival and growth beneath and near parents: The case of Myrcianthes fragrans (Myrtaceae) (D.F. Whigham and E. Cabrera Cano). 5. Colonizing success in plants: Genetic variation and phenotypic plasticity in life history traits in Capsella bursa-pastoris (H. Hurka and B. Neuffer). 6. Niches of longevity and stress (F. Klötzli). II. MASS AND WATER BALANCES AT STAND LEVEL 7. Plasticity of the photosynthetic production of Galium aparine L. (W.L. Kutsch and L. Kappen). 8. Diversity of photosynthetic responses in the mesic and arid Mediterranean-type climate regions of southern Africa (M.C. Rutherford). 9. The combination of measurements and mathematical modelling for assessing canopy structure effects (U. Tappeiner and A. Cernusca). 10. The water balance of deciduous forests: methods and models (B. Saugier and J.-Y. Pontailler). 11. Combination effects of water and salt stress on growth, hydration and pigment composition in wheat (Triticum aestivum L.): A mathematical modelling approach (K.H. Kreeb and T. Chen). 12. Ecosystem research on grassland in the Austrian Alps and in the Central Caucasus (A. Cernusca). III. MINERALS AND VEGETATION-SOIL INTERACTIONS 13. Multi-element analysis in plant material (B. Markert). 14. Significance of nutrient relations and symbiosis for the competitive interaction between grasses and legumes in tropical savannas (E. Medina and B. Bilbao). 15. Correlations between the microbial activity, and water, air, temperature and nutrient status of different soils under different land use (H.-P. Blume, L. Beyer and F. Friedrich). IV. DISTURBANCES AND MANAGEMENT OF SEMI-NATURAL AND AGRICULTURAL SYSTEMS 16. Fire, dry heat and germination of savanna grasses in Botswana (W.H.O. Ernst). 17. Does intermediate disturbance increase species richness within deciduous forest understory? (R.J. Reader, K.C. Taylor and D.W. Larson). 18. Response of a Bromus erectus grassland Mesobromion to abandonment and different cutting regimes (H. Dierschke and M. Engels). 19. Phytosociology of vineyards - results, problems, tasks (O. Wilmanns and A. Bogenrieder). 20. The dissipation of energy through soil invertebrates in wheat field and meadow (L. Ryszkowski). V. EUTROPHICATION AND POLLUTION IN TERRESTRIAL SYSTEMS 21. Lead tolerance of annuals at roadsides (U. Hellmuth and W. Schmidt). 22. Environmental mutagenesis: mutational load in natural populations of Eisenia fetida? (W. Nau and W. Köhler). 23. The sublethal enchytraeid test system: guidelines and some results (W. Westheide and D. Bethke-Beilfuss). 24. Transfer mechanisms and deposition rates of atmospheric pollutants (W. Kuttler). 25. Gaseous air pollutants and forest floor vegetation - a case study at different levels of integration (L. Steubing and A. Fangmeier). 26. Eutrophication in forest ecosystems (P. Jakucs). 27. Animal-coenoses in the "spruce forest" ecosystem (Protozoa, Metazoa-invertebrates): Indicators of alterations in forest-ecosystems (W. Funke and M. Roth-Holzapfel). VI. THE CARBON CYCLE AND CLIMATE CHANGE 28. Carbon isotope fractionation during CO2 fixation by plants (G.H. Schleser). 29. Carbon dioxide effects on vegetation (D. Overdieck and M. Forstreuter). 30. Tropical grasslands and their role in the global carbon cycle (D.O. Hall and J.M.O. Scurlock). 31. Osnabrück Biosphere Model: structure, construction, results (G. Esser). 32. Vegetation and climate: a tenuous link (J. Grace). VII. REMOTE SENSING AND GEOGRAPHIC MODELING 33. Global ecology: the role of remote sensing (D.E. Wickland). 34. Search for geographic scale regularities in ecosystem processes (A.I. Breymeyer). 35. Geographic modeling and modern ecology (E.O. Box and V. Meentemeyer). VIII. URBAN AND LANDSCAPE ECOLOGY 36. Distribution patterns of flowering plants in the city of Zurich (E. Landolt). 37. Urban ecosystems and coastal management (M. Numata). 38. Landscape ecology - fundamentals, aims and perspectives (H. Leser and H. Rodd).