Phenotypic plasticity and growth temperature: understanding interspecific variability

Abstract

The subject of this review is the impact of long-term changes in temperature on plant growth and its underlying components. The discussion highlights the extent to which thermal acclimation of metabolism is intrinsically linked to the plasticity of a range of biochemical and morphological traits. The fact that there is often a trade-off between temperature-mediated changes in net assimilation rates (NAR) and biomass allocation [in particular the specific leaf area (SLA)] when plants are grown at different temperatures is also highlighted. Also discussed is the role of temperature-mediated changes in photosynthesis and respiration in determining NAR values. It is shown that in comparisons that do not take phylogeny into account, fast-growing species exhibit greater temperature-dependent changes in RGR, SLA, and NAR than slow-growing plants. For RGR and NAR, such trends are maintained within phylogenetically independent contrasts (i.e. species adapted to more-favourable habitats consistently exhibit greater temperature-mediated changes than their congeneric counterparts adapted to less-favourable habitats). By contrast, SLA was not consistently more thermally plastic in species from favourable habitats. Interestingly, biomass allocation between leaves and roots was consistently more plastic in slow-growing species within individual phylogenetically independent contrasts, when plants were grown under contrasting temperatures. Finally, how interspecific variations in NAR account for an increasing proportion of variability in RGR as growth temperatures decrease is highlighted. Conversely, SLA played a more dominant role in determining interspecific variability in RGR at higher growth temperatures; thus, the importance of SLA in determining interspecific variation in RGR could potentially increase if annual mean temperatures increase in the future.

Genotypic and environmental variation in specific leaf area in a widespread Alpine plant after transplantation to different altitudes

“…The decrease in SLA with increasing altitude can be realized through increases in leaf density and leaf thickness (Körner 2003;Atkin et al 2006;Poorter et al 2009). Both increased density and increased thickness are often observed in deciduous herbs; the former through limited cell expansion leading to smaller cells and more cells per unit leaf volume, the latter through increases in the number of palisade parenchyma layers (Körner 2003;Poorter et al 2009).…”

Metabolism and Growth in Arabidopsis Depend on the Daytime Temperature but Are Temperature-Compensated against Cool Nights

“…We know little about how metabolism and growth adjust to a fluctuating temperature regime, which features of the regime they respond to, and whether they always respond to temperature in the same way. Temperature affects almost all cellular and physiological processes, with the effect depending on the process (Larcher, 1995;Atkin and Tjoelker, 2003;Atkin et al, 2006). Photochemical processes are effectively temperature-insensitive, diffusion-based processes that vary as a function of the change in the absolute temperature (;0.03-fold per 10°C change in the physiological range), enzyme activities typically decrease two-to threefold for each 10°C decrease in temperature (often termed the Q 10 ; Larcher, 1995), and membrane-based processes are additionally affected by physical changes in the properties of lipids.…”

Growth Analysis of Potted Seedlings of Satsuma Mandarin (<i>Citrus unshiu</i> Marc.) under Different Light Conditions and Air Temperatures

“…3c and 6a). Third, high NAR was suggested to be affected by high R s and low T a (Table 3), as previous studies have also shown that high temperatures (23-28°C) decrease NAR through plant respiration loss (Atkin et al, 2006). In several woody plants, high SLA and LAR enhance RGR because they confer high light interception and carbon gain per unit mass invested in leaves (Lambers and Poorter, 1992;Poorter and Remkes, 1990;Reich et al, 1992Reich et al, , 1998Walters et al, 1993).…”