title: Effects of mid-season frost and elevated growing season temperature on stomatal conductance and specific xylem conductivity of the arctic shrub, Salix pulchra.
abstract: An increased risk of frost is expected during the growing season, as climate warming increases spring temperatures in the Arctic. Because deciduous species have a growth season limited in length and also have generally larger conduit volumes, they are more likely than evergreens to be injured by freeze-thaw-induced cavitation during the growing season. To test whether growth at elevated temperature increases susceptibility to freeze-thaw damage, we grew a deciduous arctic shrub species (Salix pulchra Cham.) in simulated Alaskan summer temperatures and at 5 degrees C above the ambient simulation (+5 degrees C plants) in controlled environments. Stem specific hydraulic conductivity (k(s)) and leaf stomatal conductance (g(s)) were measured in plants grown at both temperatures before and after a freeze treatment simulating a mid-season frost. Before the freeze treatment, specific xylem conductivity was 2.5 times higher and stomatal conductances were 1.3 times higher in +5 degrees C plants than in ambient-grown plants. Reductions in hydraulic conductivity and stomatal conductance as a result of the freeze were 3.5 and 1.8 times greater respectively in +5 degrees C plants than in ambient-grown plants. Many of the +5 degrees C plants showed extensive leaf damage. Plants grown in the two treatments also differed in comparative xylem anatomy; +5 degrees C plants had larger vessel diameters (25.4 versus 22.6 micro m) and higher vessel densities (71 versus 67.4 vessels mm(-2)) than ambient-grown plants. Our results suggest that higher growing season temperatures will increase the susceptibility of arctic deciduous shrubs to frost damage, which may offset their competitive growth advantage.
mesh_terms: D001110:Arctic Regions; D005615:Freezing; D018547:Plant Stems / Q000254:growth & development / Q000502:physiology*; D018526:Plant Transpiration / Q000502:physiology*; D032108:Salix / Q000254:growth & development / Q000502:physiology*; D013696:Temperature