Systems biology represents the integration and application of various technologies that share a common goal of measuring globally the properties of a specific biological sample. These combined data describe and monitor the complex networks that exist within each cell, tissue and organism, and can be used to generate predictive models of the behavior of the system. This volume aims to provide a timely view of the "state of the art" in systems biology. The editors take the opportunity to define systems biology as they and the contributing authors see it, and this will lay the groundwork for future studies. The volume is well-suited to both students and researchers interested in the methods of systems biology. Although the focus is on plant systems biology, the proposed material could be suitably applied to any organism.