Plant Physiological, Morphological and Yield-Related Responses to Night Temperature Changes across Different Species and Plant Functional Types

Abstract

Land surface temperature over the past decades has shown a faster warming trend during the night than during the day. Extremely low night temperatures have occurred frequently due to the influence of land-sea thermal difference, topography and climate change. This asymmetric night temperature change is expected to affect plant ecophysiology and growth, as the plant carbon consumption processes could be affected more than the assimilation processes because photosynthesis in most plants occurs during the daytime whereas plant respiration occurs throughout the day. The effects of high night temperature (HNT) and low night temperature (LNT) on plant ecophysiological and growing processes and how the effects vary among different plant functional types (PFTs) have not been analyzed extensively. In this meta-analysis, we examined the effect of HNT and LNT on plant physiology and growth across different PFTs and experimental settings. Plant species were grouped according to their photosynthetic pathways (C3, C4, and CAM), growth forms (herbaceous, woody), and economic purposes (crop, non-crop). We found that HNT and LNT both had a negative effect on plant yield, but the effect of HNT on plant yield was primarily related to a reduction in biomass allocation to reproduction organs and the effect of LNT on plant yield was more related to a negative effect on total biomass. Leaf growth was stimulated at HNT and suppressed at LNT. HNT accelerated plants ecophysiological processes, including photosynthesis and dark respiration, while LNT slowed these processes. Overall, the results showed that the effects of night temperature on plant physiology and growth varied between HNT and LNT, among the response variables and PFTs, and depended on the magnitude of temperature change and experimental design. These findings suggest complexities and challenges in seeking general patterns of terrestrial plant growth in HNT and LNT. The PFT specific responses of plants are critical for obtaining credible predictions of the changes in crop production, plant community structure, vegetation dynamics, biodiversity, and ecosystem functioning of terrestrial biomes when asymmetric night temperature change continues.

Variations of the toxic potential of drinking water containing propyphenazone before and after chlorine disinfection

“…We can see that in the 3 D exposure period, with the increase of exposure days, the inhibition rate showed first increased and then decreased PRP on the growth of Chlorella, exposed 1 peaked at d after growth inhibition rate began to decrease, showed the strongest inhibitory effect of PRP on the initial growth of chlorella growth after inhibition will be weakened. The reasons are: PRP effect of the short duration of exposure at 1 d after Chlorella resistance, which leads to growth inhibition rate declined, the situation in the research of other scholars also had similar reports 22,23 . At the same time, with the change of PRP concentration, PRP on chlorella growth inhibition rate showed obvious dose effect relationship, with the increase in the concentration of ANT exposure, chlorella growth inhibition rate increased.…”

Low night temperature at veraison enhances the accumulation of anthocyanins in Corvina grapes (Vitis Vinifera L.)

“…Night temperature has increased faster than day temperature at global scales 2 and between 1950 and 1993, minimum temperatures have increased at about twice the rate of maximum temperatures 1 . Therefore, in the future plants will be exposed to warmer nights, which could greatly influence crop yield and vegetation dynamics as well as ecosystem biodiversity, structure and productivity 3 .…”

In vitro digestibility of mountain‐grown irrigated perennial legume, grass and forb forages is influenced by elevated non‐fibrous carbohydrates and plant secondary compounds

“…The NFC concentrations of legumes grown in the Mountain West were comparable to those for corn silage (358 g kg −1 DM) and beet pulp (383 g kg −1 DM) 28 . The elevated NFC concentrations of forages cultivated in the Mountain West likely result from the greater net photosynthesis of long, sunny days 29 combined with cool night temperatures, which reduce the rate of respiration that consumes non‐structural carbohydrates 30 …”