Influence of freezing temperatures on a cactus, Coryphantha vivipara

Coryphantha vivipara (Nutt.) Britton & Rose var. deserti (Engelm.) W.T. Marshall (Cactaceae) survived snow and tissue temperatures of-12°C in southern Nevada. However, the freezing point depression of the cell sap was only about 0.9°C. When the nocturnal air temperature in the laboratory was reduced from 10°C to-10°C for one night, the optimum temperature for CO₂ uptake shifted from 10°C to 6°C and uptake was reduced 70%, but full recovery to the original values occurred in 4 days. Nocturnal temperatures of-15°C killed 2 out of 5 plants and-20°C killed 5 out of 5, as judged by lack of net CO₂ uptake at night over a 2-month observation period. when the stems were cooled at 2° C/h, supercooling to about-6°C occurred followed by an exothermic reaction that presumably represented the freezing of extracellular water. When the subzero temperature was lowered further, no other exothermic reaction was observed and the cells became progressively dehydrated. Freezing-induced tissue death was ascribed to this cellular dehydration, which led to about 94% loss of intracellular water at-15°C. when the tissue temperature was lowered, the ability of chlorenchyma cells to plasmolyze and to take up a stain decreased, both being nearly 70% inhibited at-15°C and completely abolished at-20°C. Some cold-bardening occurred, since lowering the air temperature from 30° to-10°C in 10°C increments at weekly intervals caused the subzero temperature for 50% inhibition of staining to decrease from-10°C to-17°C. Extension of the range of C. vivipara to regions with wintertime freezing apparently reflects the tolerance of considerable freeze dehydration by its protoplasts.