Godley review: A touch of frost? Cold hardiness of plants in the southern hemisphere

Abstract

This review contrasts the frost resistance of plants from the Southern Hemisphere with that of the Northern Hemisphere and is principally concerned with plants from New Zealand, Australia, and South America. It gives a brief overview of methods for determining frost resistance in the field and in controlled environments with intact or excised plant parts. It considers various methods of determining frost resistance and the expression of critical temperatures causing damage, and discusses the problems of using excised plant parts and freezing of tissues. This review, however, is not principally concerned with physiological aspects of frost resistance, but more with biogeographic aspects of the environment and quantification of the relationships between frost resistance and temperature related factors such as altitude and latitude. It gives examples of differences in frost resistance between the two hemispheres and attributes these to the contrast between the climates of largely continental land masses in the Northern Hemisphere and the oceanic environment of the Southern Hemisphere. Furthermore, it also shows similarities between the frost resistance of plants from the Southern Hemisphere during the growing season and the maximum frost resistance of tropical alpine species and further similarities between species on oceanic islands in both hemispheres. Comprehensive lists of species' frost resistance are included in tables and appendices.

Effects of low temperature acclimation on photosynthesis in three Chilean Proteaceae

“…It is well known that temperature decreases with increasing latitude and altitude (Bannister 2007). Cabrera et al (1998) reported lower photosynthesis in species of the tropical high Andes distributed at higher altitudes with respect those located at lower ones.…”

Palynology and the Ecology of the New Zealand Conifers

“…These early deglacial forest pollen spectra were dominated by Prumnopitys taxifolia (Figures 5-9) but with significant input from Phyllocladus, Libocedrus and, in places, the Nothofagaceous Lophozonia menzesii and the deciduous angiosperm tree Plagianthus regius were common. These trees are all frost-hardy (Bannister, 2007) and can tolerate a certain amount of drought, in sharp contrast to the angiosperms that became abundant in the early Holocene (e.g., Ascarina, Metrosideros) (Leathwick and Whitehead, 2001;Hall and McGlone, 2006).…”

“…Despite conifers making up only 8% of the tree flora, 33% of the trees growing 20 m or more in height are conifers. As a group, the conifers are markedly frost-tolerant, most resisting frosts of −7 • C or more, and the three most frost-tolerant trees and shrubs in the flora (Halocarpus bidwillii, Phyllocladus alpinus, and Podocarpus nivalis) are conifers (Bannister, 2007). With regard to low rainfall and drought, Prumnopitys taxifolia, Podocarpus laetus (formerly P. hallii), P. totara, and Dacrycarpus dacrydioides are among a small group of trees singled out as currently having their maximum abundance under wet climate regimes, but also being capable of tolerating dry, warm lowland sites (Leathwick and Whitehead, 2001).…”

Influencia de factores bióticos y abióticos en el crecimiento de la regeneración pre- y post-cosecha en un bosque de Nothofagus pumilio

“…Si bien el guanaco es un componente natural de estos bosques, se ha sugerido que sus poblaciones pueden poner en riesgo la regeneración de estos bosques (Cavieres y Fajardo 2005) debido a que las poblaciones son segregadas por el ganado doméstico hacia el bosque (Iranzo et al 2013). Por otra parte, la regeneración establecida también es vulnerable a daños abióticos debido a heladas o desecamientos durante la temporada de crecimiento (Bannister 2007, Martínez Pastur et al 2016a, pudiendo en algunos años afectar a un mayor porcentaje de plántulas que el ramoneo, y cuyos efectos (ramoneo y años por heladas/desecamientos) suelen confundirse en el tiempo (Martínez Pastur et al 2016a). Si bien diversos trabajos han reportado el impacto del ramoneo del guanaco y de los factores abióticos en la regeneración (e.g.…”

“…Lama guanicoe Müller, guanaco) (Soler et al 2012, Martínez Pastur et al 2013a, 2016a. En relación a los factores abióticos, los más importantes se corresponden a la exposición de las semillas a bajas temperaturas durante su estratificación, o a bajas y/o altas temperaturas que pueden afectar la parte aérea de la regeneración ya establecida generando la muerte de parte de la biomasa aérea (daños por heladas o desecamiento, de ahora en adelante DHD) (Read y Hope 1989, Bannister 2007, Martínez Pastur et al 2013a. Tanto el ramoneo por herbívoros como daños por DHD modifican la arquitectura de la planta y alteran la calidad futura de las mismas.…”