This volume provides a comprehensive look at the biology of plastids, the multifunctional biosynthetic factories that are unique to plants and algae. Fifty-six international experts have contributed 28 chapters that cover all aspects of this large and diverse family of plant and algal organelles. The book is divided into five sections: (I): Plastid Origin and Development; (II): The Plastid Genome and Its Interaction with the Nuclear Genome; (III): Photosynthetic Metabolism in Plastids; (IV): Non-Photosynthetic Metabolism in Plastids; (V): Plastid Differentiation and Response to Environmental Factors. Each chapter includes an integrated view of plant biology from the standpoint of the plastid. The book is intended for a wide audience, but is specifically designed for advanced undergraduate and graduate students and scientists in the fields of photosynthesis, biochemistry, molecular biology, physiology, and plant biology.

"The Structure and Function of Plastids is Volume 23 in the Advances in Photosynthesis and Respiration Series. This volume provides a comprehensive look at the biology of plastids, the multifunctional biosynthetic factories that are unique to plants and algae. Fifty-nine international experts have contributed 27 chapters that cover all aspects of this large and diverse family of plant and algal organelles. TOC:From the contents

Plastid Origin and Development.- The Diversity of Plastid Form and Function.- Chloroplast Development: Whence and Whither.- Protein Import Into Chloroplasts: Who, When, and How?.- Origin and Evolution of Plastids: Genomic View on the Unification and Diversity of Plastids.- The Mechanism of Plastid Division: The Structure and Origin of The Plastid Division Apparatus.- The Plastid Genome and its Interaction with the Nuclear Genome.- Expression, Prediction and Function of the Thylakoid Proteome in Higher Plants and Green Algae.- The Role of Nucleus- and Chloroplast-Encoded Factors in the Synthesis of the Photosynthetic Apparatus.- Plastid Transcription: Competition, Regulation and Promotion by Plastid- and Nuclear-Encoded Polymerases.- Plastid-to-Nucleus Signaling.- Trace Metal Utilization in Chloroplasts.- Photosynthetic Metabolism in Plastids.- Light/Dark Regulation of Chloroplast Metabolism.- Chlororespiratory Pathways and Their Physiological Significance.- CO2 Concentrating Mechanisms.- Synthesis, Export and Partitioning of the End Products of Photosynthesis.- Non-Photosynthetic Metabolism in Plastids.- Chlorophyll Synthesis.- Carotenoids.- Lipid Synthesis, Metabolism and Transport.- Amino Acid Synthesis in Plastids.- Sulfur Metabolism in Plastids.- Regulation and Role of Calcium Fluxes in the Chloroplast.- Plastid Differentiation and Response to Environmental Factors.- The Role of Plastids in Ripening Fruits.- Fate and Activities of Plastids During Leaf Senescence.- The Kleptoplast.- The Apicoplast.- The Role of Plastids in Gravitropism.- Chloroplast Movements in Response to Environmental Signals.- Oxygen Metabolism and Stress Physiology.