Photosynthesis and Carbon Economy of Plants

Summary The extent to which studies of photosynthesis and carbon economy are, or should be, at the forefront of comparative plant ecology is discussed from the points of view of carbon pathways, water‐use efficiency, irradiance and nutrients, especially nitrogen. The ways in which new integrative and reductionist techniques can be applied to photosynthesis in an ecological control are illustrated and their value assessed. The study of photosynthetic physiology of plants at the edges of their geographical range is urged as a means of understanding both their responses to stress and disturbance, and their competitive interactions.