1 Introduction.- 2 Fundamental Equations of Radiative Transfer in Leaf Canopies, and Iterative Methods for Their Solution.- 1 Boundary Problem for the Transfer Equation.- 2 Separation of First-Order Scattering.- 3 Iterative Methods.- 4 Concluding Remarks.- Appendix 1 Solvability of the Transfer Equation in the Plant Canopy.- Appendix 2 Expansion of the Solution in Cosine Series.- References.- 3 Discrete Ordinates Method for Photon Transport in Leaf Canopies.- 1 Introduction.- 2 The Leaf Canopy Transport Problem.- 3 Angular Approximations.- 4 Solution of the Discrete Ordinates Equations.- 5 Convergence Acceleration.- 6 Convergence Criteria.- 7 Numerical Errors.- 8 Canopy Architecture.- 9 A Test Case.- 10 Inclusion of the Hot Spot Effect.- 11 Concluding Remarks.- References.- 4 Principles of Statistical Phytoactinometry.- 1 Basic Concepts.- 2 Imitation Modeling of Sunfleck Statistics.- 3 Statistical Moments Transfer Theory.- 4 A Model for the Penetration of Direct Solar Radiation.- 5 Model for Sky and Scattered Radiation.- References.- 5 The Hot Spot Effect in Plant Canopy Reflectance.- 1 Introduction.- 2 The Hot Spot Effect in Different Media.- 3 The Hot Spot Effect in the Leaf Canopy.- 4 The Phase Function of the Crown of a Single Tree.- 5 Aureole Around the Laser Beam in the Vegetation Canopy.- 6 Model Validation.- 7 Canopy with Large Inhomogeneities.- References.- 6 Approximate Analytical Methods for Calculating the Reflection Functions of Leaf Canopies in Remote Sensing Applications.- 1 General Considerations.- 2 Derivation of Approximate Algorithms of Canopy Reflectance.- 3 Some Examples of Canopy Reflectance Models.- 4 Comments on Further Development of Canopy Reflectance Models.- References.- 7 Polarization of Light by Vegetation.- 1 Introduction.- 2 Scattering by Single Leaves.- 3 Scattering from Plant Canopies.- 4 Conclusion.- References.- 8 Leaf Optical Properties.- 1 Introduction.- 2 Discussion - Leaf Reflectance and Transmittance.- 3 Future Research.- References.- 9 Photon Transport in Leaf Tissue: Applications in Plant Physiology.- 1 Introduction.- 2 Methods of Plant Photophysiology.- 3 Methods of Leaf Optics.- 4 Solutions of Problems in Leaf Optics.- 5 Conclusions.- References.- 10 Photon Transport in Phototropic Organisms.- 1 Introduction.- 2 Non- and Weakly-Scattering Phototropic Organisms.- 3 Photon Transport in Intensely Scattering Finite Cylindrical Media.- 4 Applications of the Theory.- 5 Action Spectroscopy.- 6 Summary.- References.- 11 Radiative Transfer in Homogeneous and Heterogeneous Vegetation Canopies.- 1 Introduction.- 2 3-D Model Description.- 3 Field Measurements.- 4 Model Applications and Results.- 5 Conclusions, Implications, and Future Directions.- References.- 12 Photon Transport in Discontinuous Canopies: A Weighted Random Approach.- 1 Introduction.- 2 Basis of the Nonrandom Model.- 3 Calculating Noninterceptances.- 4 Canopy BRDF Calculations.- 5 Model Verification.- 6 Summary.- References.- 13 Geometric-Optical Modeling of Forests as Remotely-Sensed Scenes Composed of Three-Dimensional, Discrete Objects.- 1 Introduction.- 2 Shape, Size, and Spacing of Objects.- 3 Modeling Forest Signatures.- 4 Inversion Strategy.- 5 Component Radiances.- 6 Two-Stage Models.- 7 Conclusions.- References.- 14 Monte Carlo Methods.- 1 Introduction.- 2 The Radiation Regime of a Coniferous Tree.- 3 The Radiation Regime of Plant Canopy.- 4 Numerical Experiments.- 5 Conclusions.- Appendices.- References.- 15 Radiation Regime and Photosynthesis of Coniferous Stands.- 1 Introduction.- 2 Stand Architecture and its Mathematical Modeling.- 3 The Radiation Field Inside a Stand.- 4 Radiation and Photosynthesis.- 5 Discussion.- References.- 16 Joining Leaf Photosynthesis Models and Canopy Photon-Transport Models.- 1 What is Needed.- 2 Dispersion in Leaf Placement: Binomial Penetration Functions.- 3 Lateral Inhomogeneities in the Canopy - How Important are They?.- 4 Finite Size of Leaves: Penumbral Effects.- 5 Solar Tracking by Leaves, or Heliotropism.- 6 Variation of Leaf Photosynthetic Capacity with Canopy Position.- 7 Transients in Irradiance, Especially from Leaf Movement.- 8 Micrometeorology.- 9 Some Effort-Reducing Mathematical Procedures.- 10 Conclusions.- References.- 17 Applications of Radiative Transfer Models for Remote Sensing of Vegetation Conditions and States.- 1 Introduction.- 2 Past and Present Applications.- 3 Present and Future Applications.- 4 Commercial Instruments.- 5 Future Directions.- 6 Mission to Planet Earth.- References.