3 Review(s)

Light and time are key environmental components for the majority of organisms. Biologically, time operates at various scales: the annual cycle of seasons, the daily cycle of the sun or the potentially rapid cycle of cell division. What is apparently fundamental to all organisms is the ability to respond in a manner predictive of time. Time-dependent changes in physiology, morphology and ecology are responsive to various environmental cues, the most prominent of which is light. The ability of organisms to perceive, harvest and protect themselves from light is also of fundamental importance leading to a variety of biological responses including phototaxis and photosynthesis. This volume, which concentrates primarily but not exclusively on microorganisms both prokaryotic and eukaryotic, provides a series of chapters which explore various aspects of the underlying biology, providing a wide ranging and up-to-date review of this fundamental area of biology, currently advancing at an exhilarating pace.