Summary
Plant leaves normally respond to increasing injurious temperatures with a more or less continuous increase of tissue damage. A discontinuous response comprising a first lethal or sublethal temperature range which is followed by a non-injurious temperature range and a second, the lethal temperature range appeared to be an exception. The data with Populus deltoides x simonii show that a two-phasic response is most pronounced after heat shocks of 15 s and was no longer detected after exposure to heat longer than 9 min. In the course of the growing season the two-phasic stress response appears from the beginning of August until leaf fall in late October. Similar results with Convolvulus arvensis and Ligustrum vulgare show that this stress response is not particular of this hybrid of Populus. The wintergreen leaves of Ligustrum do not continue the two-phasic response until leaf fall in spring. Thus, the two-phasic response cannot be related to leaf senescence, however, it seems to indicate a transitional state of the heat tolerance in the period between late summer and late fall. In this state, the socalled primary thermostability of the organs decreases with decreasing natural heat hardening, however, sublethal heat shocks then have hardening or adaptive effects.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Alexandrov, V.Ya.: A simple method of infiltration of plant tissues. Bot. Z. 39, 421–422 (1954)
Alexandrov, V.Ya.: Cytophysiological and cytoecological investigations of (heat) resistance of plant cells toward the action of high and low temperature. Quart. Rev. Biol. 39, 35–77 (1964)
Alexandrov, V.Ya.: Conformational flexibility of proteins, their resistance to proteinases and temperature conditions of life. Curr. Mod. Biol. 3, 9–19 (1969)
Alexandrov, V.Ya.: Cells, molecules and temperature. Ecological studies, Vol. 21. Berlin-Heidelberg-New York: Springer 1977
Alexandrov, V.Ya., Lomagin, A.G., Feldman, N.L.: The responsive increase in thermostability of plant cells. Protoplasma 69, 417–458 (1970)
Buschbom, U.: Salzresistenz oberirdischer Sproßteile von Holzgewächsen. II. Chlorideinwirkungen auf die Achsengewebe — Jahreslauf der Resistenz. Flora 158B, 129–158 (1968)
Kappen, L.: Untersuchungen über den Jahreslauf der Frost-, Hitze- und Austrocknungsresistenz von Sporophyten einheimischer Polypodiaceen (Filicinae). Flora 155, 123–166 (1964)
Kappen, L., Lange, O.L.: Die Hitzeresistenz angetrockneter Blätter von Commelina africana — ein Vergleich zwischen zwei Untersuchungsmethoden. Protoplasma 65, 119–132 (1968)
Lange, O.L.: Die Hitzeresistenz einheimischer immer- und wintergrüner Pflanzen im Jahreslauf. Planta (Berl.) 56, 666–683 (1961)
Lange, O.L.: The heat resistance of plants, its determination and variability. Proc. of the Montpellier Sympos. UNESCO, pp. 399–405 (1965)
Levitt, J.: Responses of plants to environmental stresses. New York-London: Academic Press 1972
Lutova, M.J., Zavadskaya, I.G.: Effects of the plant keeping duration at different temperatures on the cell heat resistance [Russ. with Engl. Summary]. Zitologia (Moscow-Leningrad) 8, 484–493 (1966)
Sapper, I.: Versuche zur Hitzeresistenz der Pflanzen. Planta (Berl.) 23, 518–556 (1935)
Schwemmle, B., Lange, O.L.: Endogen-tagesperiodische Schwankungen der Hitzesistenz bei Kalanchoë blossfeldiana. Planta (Berl.) 53, 134–144 (1959)
Url, W.: Vergleichende Untersuchungen über die Resistenz pflanzlicher Plasmen gegen Natriumkarbonat. Protoplasma 51, 338–370 (1960)
Wagenbreth, D.: Das Auftreten von zwei Letalstufen bei Hitzeeinwirkung auf Pappelblätter. Flora 156A, 116–126 (1965)
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Kappen, L., Zeidler, A. Seasonal changes between one- and two-phasic response of plant leaves to heat stress. Oecologia 31, 45–53 (1977). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00348707
Received:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00348707