The word ''terraforming'' conjures up many exotic images and p- hapsevenwildemotions, butatitscoreitencapsulatestheideathat worldscanbechangedbydirecthumanaction.Theultimateaimof terraforming is to alter a hostile planetary environment into one that is Earth-like, and eventually upon the surface of the new and vibrant world that you or I could walk freely about and explore. It is not entirely clear that this high goal of terraforming can ever be achieved, however, and consequently throughout much of thisbooktheterraformingideasthatarediscussedwillapplytothe goal of making just some fraction...

Ecology is the science of the relationships between living organisms and their envi ronment . . It is concerned with the web of interactions involved in the circulation of matter and the flow of energy that makes possible life on earth, and with the adapta tions of organisms to the conditions under which they survive. Given the multitude of diverse organisms, the plant ecologist focuses upon the plants, investigating the influence of environmental factors on the character of the vegetation and the be havior of the individual plant species. Plant ecophysiology, a discipline within plant...