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Plant adaptation to cold climates.

Christian Körner¹

¹Institute of Botany, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland.

|December 20, 2016

Summary

This review explores how plant size influences experienced climate in cold environments. Plants must develop freezing resistance and manage gradual cold effects on growth, not carbon gain.

Area of Science:

Plant physiology and ecology
Environmental science
Biometeorology

Background:

Cold environments present unique challenges for plant life.
Plant stature significantly impacts the microclimate experienced by plants.
Adaptation to cold involves coping with both extreme temperatures and gradual cold influences.

Approach:

Reviewing criteria for defining "cold" environments.
Examining plant adaptations to cold, including freezing resistance and acclimation.
Analyzing the effects of gradual low temperatures on plant physiology.

Key Points:

Plant stature is crucial in determining the microclimate experienced by plants.
Freezing resistance is linked to developmental stage (phenology) and acclimation.

Keywords:

biogeography climate development freezing growth phenology stress

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Growth processes (meristems) are more sensitive to gradual cold than photosynthesis.

Plants in cold climates are typically not limited by carbon availability.

Conclusions:

Understanding cold environments requires considering plant stature and experienced climate.
Plant adaptations to cold are complex, involving freezing tolerance and growth regulation.
Carbon limitation is less common in cold-climate plants due to growth constraints.