OBJECTIVES
After reading this chapter you should be able to understand,
explain, or describe
- factors affecting the distribution of plant species
- different ways vegetation types can be described
- the concept of diversity and the various ways to represent
it
- how plant structure can be used to characterize vegetation
communities
- leaf area index and how it is measured
- how crown closure affects photosynthetic rates
- how biomass can be measured using remote sensing
techniques
- how plants react to various forms of environmental stress
- factors affecting vegetation dynamics
- the importance of spectral vegetation indices for monitoring
vegetation
- how photosynthetically active radiation interacts with plant
canopies
- the concept of light use efficiency.