1. Respiratory Parameters Define Growth Rate, Species Distribution and Adaptation to Temperature
- Author
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R. S. Criddle, D. Hansen, and J. N. Church
- Subjects
Renewable Energy, Sustainability and the Environment ,Ecology ,Geography, Planning and Development ,Species distribution ,Plant physiology ,Forestry ,Management, Monitoring, Policy and Law ,Atmospheric temperature range ,Biology ,Photosynthesis ,Eucalyptus ,Growth rate ,Adaptation ,Biological system ,Food Science ,Woody plant - Abstract
Development of procedures for short-term measurements of plant physiological properties to define plant growth rate responses to temperature could allow rapid identification of plants best suited for growth in a given temperature environment. Plants grown at one site could be evaluated for their potential growth properties at distant sites without the extensive field trials that are currently required. Previous attempts to identify parameters that define plant growth rate responses to temperature have considered temperature dependencies of photosynthesis and of various enzyme reactions (e.g., Chiariello et al., 1989; Burke et al., 1988). None have been successful in developing a theoretical basis employing quantitative predictive parameters to identify 116high and low temperature limits for growth and growth rates within the allowed temperature range. This communication demonstrates the use of respiration-based measurements to describe Eucalyptus growth as a function of temperature. The data produce predicted growth rate responses to temperature change for trees from three species of Eucalyptus. The growth-temperature patterns obtained are consistent with temperature ranges in the native growth climates of the three species.
- Published
- 1999
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