1. Functional Biology and Plant Strategies. - A. Functional Biology. - B. The Requirements on Plants in Their Growth and Function. - C. The Abiotic Environment: Plant Autecology. - D. Adaptive Strategies. - E. Four Principles of Adaptive Strategies. - F. The Calculation of Energetic Costs and Benefits. - G. Toward a Quantification of Risk and Risk Management. - H. When and How Fast to Deploy Strategies. - I. Effectiveness and Limitations of Strategic Adaptations. - J. Additional Strategic Considerations for the Biotic Environment. - 2. Mineral Nutrition. - A. Essential Elements in the Ecosystem and Their Availability to Plants. - B. Four Types of Challenges. - C. Consequences of Nutritional Challenges. - D. Adaptive Responses Their Costs and Benefits. - 3. Photosynthesis. - A. CO2 Photons and Their Availability to the Plant. - B. Energy and Soil Resource Uses: Costs and Benefits. - C. Challenges. - D. Consequences of Challenges to Photosynthesis. - E. Adaptive Responses Their Costs and Benefits. - 4. Water Relations. - A. Introduction. - B. Challenges. - C. Consequences of Challenges. - D. Adaptive Strategies Their Costs and Benefits. - 5. Integrative Processes. - A. New Features in Long-Term Coordination of All Resource Uses. - B. Reproduction. - C. Germination. - D. Morphogenesis Especially Photomorphogenesis. - E. Control of Biotic Interactions. - References. - Symbols. Language: English