Photosynthesis is a process on which virtually all life on Earth depends. To answer the basic questions at all levels of complexity, from molecules to ecosystems, and to establish correlations and interactions between these levels, photosynthesis research - perhaps more than any other discipline in biology - requires a multidisciplinary approach. Congresses probably provide the only forums where progress throughout the whole field can be overviewed. The Congress proceedings give faithful pictures of recent advances in photosynthesis research and outline trends and perspectives in all areas, ranging from molecular events to aspects of photosynthesis on the global scale. The Proceedings Book, a set of 4 (or 5) volumes, is traditionally highly recognized and intensely quoted in the literature, and is found on the shelves of most senior scientists in the field and in all major libraries.