Plant ecology

thumb|These maps show a scale, or index of greenness, based on several factors: the number and type of plants, leafiness, and plant health. Where foliage is dense and plants are growing quickly, the index is high, represented in dark green. Regions with sparse vegetation and a low vegetation index are shown in tan. Based on measurements from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA's Terra satellite. Areas where there is no data are gray.

thumb|250px|right|Spartina alterniflora ([[cordgrass), a halophyte.]]

collection or association of plant species within a designated geographical unit

process of adjustment to actual or expected climate change and its effects, seeking to moderate or avoid harm or exploit beneficial opportunities

subdiscipline of ecology, studies the abundance and distribution of plants

thumb|Caltha palustris is a hygrophyte A hygrophyte (Greek hygros = wet + phyton = plant) is a plant that inhabits moist areas and is intolerant of dry conditions. The species may inhabit wet and dark forests and islands, dense swamps, and wet meadows. Within the group of all types of terrestrial plants, they are least resistant to drought.

ability of plants to survive adverse growing conditions

Mesophytes are terrestrial plants which are adapted to neither particularly dry nor particularly wet environments. An example of a mesophytic habitat would be a rural temperate meadow, which might contain goldenrod, clover, oxeye daisy, and Rosa multiflora. Mesophytes prefer soil and air of moderate humidity and avoid soil with standing water or containing a great abundance of salts. They make up the largest ecological group of terrestrial plants, and usually grow under moderate to hot and humid climatic regions.

Ecophysiology (from Greek , oikos, "house(hold)"; , physis, "nature, origin"; and , -logia), environmental physiology or physiological ecology is a biological discipline that studies the response of an organism's physiology to environmental conditions. It is closely related to comparative physiology and evolutionary physiology. Ernst Haeckel's coinage bionomy is sometimes employed as a synonym.

tree grown specifically for its shade

ability of plants to sense and respond to the environment

Nitrophily is a botanical term that indicates a preference of certain plant species for a habitat rich in nitrate. This term was first introduced by George Fuller during the 1930s. The word is a contraction of the Greek words νἰτρον (nitron) meaning "saltpetre" and φίλος (philos) meaning "friendly".