ABSTRACT
Climate, especially sunlight, temperature and precipitation, is one of the major ecological forces that govern distribution, abundance, health and functioning of plants. But the extent of the climatic influence varies according to its scale. In return, plants have an influence on the climate. It is necessary to digest the differences between macroclimate, mesoclimate and microclimate before further discussion on climate and plants is made. According to Stoutjesdijk and Barkman (1992):
Macroclimate, which we may define as the weather situation over a long period (at least 30 yr) occurring independently of local topography, soil type and vegetation . . . The mesoclimate, or topoclimate is a local variant of the macroclimate as caused by the topography, or in some cases by the vegetation and by human action . . . influences are strongest in the lower 2 m of the atmosphere and the upper 0.5 to 1 m of the soil. The climate in this zone is called microclimate.
