Functional Plant Biology (formerly known as Australian Journal of Plant Physiology) publishes papers of a broad interest that advance our knowledge on mechanisms by which plants operate and interact with environment. Of specific interest are mechanisms and signal transduction pathways by which plants adapt to extreme environmental conditions such as high and low temperatures, drought, flooding, salinity, pathogens, and other major abiotic and biotic stress factors. FPB also encourages papers on emerging concepts and new tools in plant biology, and studies on the following functional areas encompassing work from the molecular through whole plant to community scale. FPB does not publish merely phenomenological observations or findings of merely applied significance.

Functional Plant Biology is published with the endorsement of the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) and the Australian Academy of Science.

Functional Plant Biology is published in affiliation with the Federation of European Societies of Plant Biology and in Australia, is associated with the Australian Society of Plant Scientists and the New Zealand Society of Plant Biologists.