Global renewable electricity generation capacity has rapidly increased in the past decade. Increasing the sustainability of electricity generation and the market share of solar photovoltaics (PV) will require continued cost reductions or higher efficiencies. Wavelength‐Selective Photovoltaic Systems (WSPVs) combine luminescent solar cell technology with conventional silicon‐based PV, thereby increasing efficiency and lowering the cost of electricity generation. WSPVs absorb some of the blue and green wavelengths of the solar spectrum but transmit the remaining wavelengths that can be utilized by photosynthesis for plants growing below. WSPVs are ideal for integrating electricity generation with glasshouse production, but it is not clear how they may affect plant development and physiological processes. The effects of tomato photosynthesis under WSPVs showed a small decrease in water use, whereas there were minimal effects on the number and fresh weight of fruit for a number of commercial species. Although more research is required on the impacts of WSPVs, they are a promising technology for greater integration of distributed electricity generation with food production operations, for reducing water loss in crops grown in controlled environments, as building‐integrated solar facilities, or as alternatives to high‐impact PV for energy generation over agricultural or natural ecosystems.

Models are simplified representations of more complex systems that help scientists structure the knowledge they acquire. As such, they are ubiquitous and invaluable in scientific research and communication. Because science education strives to make classroom activities more closely reflect science in practice, models have become integral teaching and learning tools woven throughout the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS). Though model-based learning and curriculum are not novel in educational theory, only recently has modeling taken center stage in K-12 national standards for science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) classes. We present a variety of examples to outline the importance of various types of models and the practice of modeling in biological research as well as the NGSS's emphasis on their use in both classroom learning and assessment. We then suggest best practices for creating and modifying models in the context of student-driven inquiry and demonstrate that even subtle incorporation of modeling into existing science curricula can help achieve student learning outcomes, particularly for English language learners. In closing, we express the value of models and modeling in life beyond the classroom and research laboratory, and highlight the critical importance of "model literacy" for the next generation of scientists, engineers, and problemsolvers.

plots in most years, and 20 % lower on −snow plots, consistent with several down-scaled climate model projections. Maximal soil water content at 40-and 100-cm depths was correlated with February snow depth. For both species, multivariate ANOVA (MANOVA) showed that Ψ stem , g s , and A were significantly affected by intra-annual variation in snow depth. Within years, MANOVA showed that only A was significantly affected by spatial snow depth treatments for A. tridentata, and Ψ stem was significantly affected by snow depth for P. tridentata. Results show that stem water relations and photosynthetic gas exchange for these two cold desert shrub species in mid-June were more affected by inter-annual variation in snow depth by comparison to within-year spatial variation in snow depth. The results highlight the potential importance of changes in interannual variation in snowfall for future shrub photosynthesis in the western Great Basin Desert.

A B S T R A C TThe invasive grass Bromus tectorum fuels fires, displaces native species, and reduces wildlife habitat on sagebrush steppe throughout the western United States. Recently, it has spread from the Great Basin Desert into higher elevations of the eastern Sierra Nevada, where it coexists with natives but has not yet altered fire regimes. We evaluated effects of a springtime water pulse (+10 mm) in a drought year on photosynthesis for B. tectorum and co-occurring shallow-rooted native perennials Achnatherum hymenoides, Elymus elymoides, and Lupinus argenteus near the range limit of B. tectorum at ∼2175 m in California. Watered B. tectorum had the largest increase in stomatal conductance (27%) of the four species. Watering increased CO 2 assimilation for B. tectorum by 78% over controls, compared to 17% for A. hymenoides, 2% for E. elymoides, and 29% for L. argenteus. Electron transport rate within Photosystem II increased for watered B. tectorum and A. hymenoides, but not for E. elymoides and L. argenteus. Instantaneous electron transport rate and carbon assimilation were more responsive for B. tectorum than natives following a spring water pulse during drought. Rapid upregulation of carbon uptake in spring in response to soil re-wetting during drought could facilitate B. tectorum spread at high elevation.