Abstract
This chapter focuses on the physical basis of the exchange of solar energy. As an introduction to the topic, the energy balance of the atmosphere is explained, followed by a section on the microclimate near the ground surface. It is the exchange of energy that determines the temperature near the ground as modified by biotic and abiotic factors. On the basis of the understanding of climate drivers near the Earth’s surface, the energy balance of a leaf is discussed, which mainly involves adaptations of the leaf surface to absorb or reflect solar energy and a balance of sensible and latent heat transfer. Plants are adapted to cope with climate extremes on the basis of modifications in their physical energy transfer.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution.
Buying options
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Learn about institutional subscriptionsReferences
Buchmann N, Kao WY, Ehleringer JR (1996) Carbon dioxide concentrations within forest canopies—variation with time, stand structure, and vegetation type. Glob Change Biol 2:421–432
Ehleringer JR (1980) Leaf morphology and reflectance in relation to water and temperature stress. In: Turner NC, Kramer PJ (eds) Adaptations of plants to water and high temperature stress. Wiley, New York
Gates DM (1965) Energy exchange in the biosphere. Harper and Row, New York
Hartmann DL, Klein Tank AMG, Rusticucci M, Alexander LV, Bronnimann S, Charabi Y, Dentener FJ, Dlugokencky EJ, Easterling DR, Kaplan A, Soden BJ, Thorne PW, Wild M, Zhai PM (2013) Observations: atmosphere and surface. In: Climate change 2013: the physical science basis. Contribution of Working Group I to the 5th assessment report. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge
IPCC—Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (2013) Climate change 2013: the physical science basis. Contribution of working group I to the 5th assessment report. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge
Jones HG (2014) Plants and microclimate; a quantitative approach to environmental plant physiology. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge
Kraus G (1911) Boden und Klima auf kleinstem Raum; Versuch einer exakten Behandlung des Standortes auf dem Wellenkalk. Gustav Fischer, Jena
Lange OL (1959) Untersuchungen über den Wärmehaushalt und Hitzeresistenz mauretanischer Wüsten- und Savannenpflanzen. Flora 147:595–651
Larcher W (2003) Physiological plant ecology, 4th edn. Springer, Berlin
List RJ (1971) Smithsonian meteorological tables. Smithsonian Institution Press, Washington, DC
Lutgens FK, Tarbuck EJ, Tasa D (2013) The atmosphere: an introduction to meteorology, 12th edn. Prentice Hall, Upper Saddle River
Mitchell JFB (1989) The greenhouse effect and climate change. Rev Geophys 27:115–139
Monteith JL, Unsworth MH (2013) Principles of environmental physics, 4th edn. Academic Press, Burlington
Monson R, Baldocchi D (2014) Terrestrial biosphere–atmosphere fluxes, 1st edn. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge
Oke T, Christen A (2015) Boundary layer climates, 1st edn. Chapman & Hall, Routledge
Scheffer F (2002) Lehrbuch der Bodenkunde. Scheffer/Schachtschabel, 15th edn. Spektrum Akademischer Verlag, Heidelberg
Schulze E-D (1972) Die Wirkung von Licht und Temperatur auf den CO2-Gaswechsel verschiedener Lebensformen aus der Krautschicht eines montanen Buchenwaldes. Oecologia 9:235–258
Schulze E-D (1982) Plant life forms and their carbon, water and nutrient relations. Encycl Plant Physiol 128:616–676
Schulze E-D, Eller BM, Thomas DA, von Willert DJ, Brinckmann E (1980) Leaf temperatures and energy balance of Welwitschia mirabilis in its natural habitat. Oecologia 44:258–262
Shakel KA, Hall AE (1979) Reversible leaflet movements in relation to drought adaptation in cowpea, Vigna unguiculata (L.) Walp. Aust J Plant Physiol 6:265–276
Smith WK (1978) Temperatures in desert plants: another perspective on the ability of leaf size. Science 201:614–616
Stott PA, Tett SFB, Jones GS (2001) External control of 20th century temperature by natural and anthropogenic forcings. Science 290:2133–2137
Stull RB (1988) An introduction to boundary layer meteorology. Springer, Dordrecht
Wallace JM, Hobbs PV (2006) Atmospheric science: an introductory survey. Academic Press, San Diego
Walter H (1960) Grundlagen der Pflanzenverbreitung. Teil I Standortlehre. Ulmer, Stuttgart
Wild M, Folini D, Schar C, Loeb N, Dutton EG, Konig-Langlo G (2013) The global energy balance from a surface perspective. Clima Dyn 40:3107–3134
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2019 Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Schulze, ED., Beck, E., Buchmann, N., Clemens, S., Müller-Hohenstein, K., Scherer-Lorenzen, M. (2019). Thermal Balance of Plants and Plant Communities. In: Plant Ecology. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-662-56233-8_9
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-662-56233-8_9
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg
Print ISBN: 978-3-662-56231-4
Online ISBN: 978-3-662-56233-8
eBook Packages: Biomedical and Life SciencesBiomedical and Life Sciences (R0)