Introduction

摘要

A joint meeting of the Canadian Society of Plant Physiologists and the recently formed Canadian Society for Plant Molecular Biology was held at Queen's University, Kingston, Ont., June 9 ndash; 12, 1987. The meeting formed a timely recognition of the multiple common interests of the two societies, some of which found expression in the presentation of two joint symposia. The second of these,Topics in Plant Nitrogen Metabolism, is published in the following pages.It is impossible to overestimate the significance of plant nitrogen metabolism, both from the redoubtable standpoint of economics and from the larger one of global ecology. Appropriately, the systems and problems discussed in the symposium covered both aquatic and terrestrial plants (in the broad sense of that word). It is also noteworthy that the organisms discussed ranged from the prokaryotic to complex eukaryotic. A third aspect of the symposium was the theme that nitrogen metabolism interacts strongly with that of carbon and, thus, with photosynthesis, respiration, and the synthesis of proteins. Of course, it is precisely because of interactions like these that nitrogen and its biochemistry are of such biological importance.To each of the speakers in this symposium, both societies are deeply grateful for their efforts, insights, and not least for their willingness to prepare their symposium presentations for publication in this issue. Sincere thanks are also expressed to Dr. Brian Ellis and Dr. Roger Horton, for acting as editors for these reports, and to the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada and to Allelix Inc., for their financial sponsorship of the symposium.