Direct and acclimatory responses of dark respiration and translocation to temperature

Accounting for the acclimation of respiration of plants to temperature remains a major problem in analysis of carbon balances of plants and ecosystems. Translocation of carbohydrates out of leaves in the dark requires energy from respiration. In this study relationships between the responses of leaf respiration and translocation to temperature are examined.

Direct and acclimatory responses to temperature of respiration and translocation in the dark were investigated in mature leaves of soybean and amaranth. In some cases translocation from leaves was prevented by heat-girdling the phloem in the leaf petiole, or photosynthesis during the previous day was altered.

In both species short-term increases in temperature early in the dark period led to exponential increases in rates of respiration. However, respiration rates decreased toward the end of the dark period at higher temperatures. Stopping translocation largely prevented this decrease in respiration, suggesting that the decrease in respiration was due to low availability of substrates. In soybean, translocation also increased with temperature, and both respiration and translocation fully acclimated to temperature. In amaranth, translocation in the dark was independent of temperature, and respiration did not acclimate to temperature. Respiration and translocation rates both decreased with lower photosynthesis during the previous day in the two species.

Substrate supply limited total night-time respiration in both species at high temperatures and following days with low photosynthesis. This resulted in an apparent acclimation of respiration to high temperatures within one night in both species. However, after long-term exposure to different temperatures there was no evidence that lack of substrates limited respiration in either species. In amaranth, respiration did not limit translocation rates over the temperature range of 20-35 degrees C.