Multiple phenological responses to climate change among 42 plant species in Xi’an, China

Phenological data of 42 woody plants in a temperate deciduous forest from the Chinese Phenological Observation Network (CPON) and the corresponding meteorological data from 1963 to 2011 in Xi’an, Shaanxi Province, China were collected and analyzed. The first leaf date (FLD), leaf coloring date (LCD) and first flower date (FFD) are revealed as strong biological signals of climatic change. The FLD, LCD and FFD of most species are sensitive to average temperature during a certain period before phenophase onset. Regional precipitation also has a significant impact on phenophases of about half of the species investigated. Affected by climate change, the FLD and FFD of these species have advanced by 5.54 days and 10.20 days on average during 2003–2011 compared with the period 1963–1996, respectively. Meanwhile, the LCD has delayed by 10.59 days, and growing season length has extended 16.13 days. Diverse responses of phenology commonly exist among different species and functional groups during the study period. Especially for FFD, the deviations between the above two periods ranged from ?20.68 to ?2.79 days; biotic pollination species showed a significantly greater advance than abiotic pollination species. These results were conducive to the understanding of possible changes in both the structure of plant communities and interspecific relationships in the context of climate change.     

Earlier plant flowering in spring as a response to global warming in the Washington, DC, area

Evidence for global warming is inferred from spring advances in first-flowering in plants. The trend of average first-flowering times per year for the study group shows a significant advance of 2.4 days over a 30-year period. When 11 species that exhibit later first-flowering times are excluded from the data set, the remaining 89 show a significant advance of 4.5 days. Significant trends for earlier-flowering species range from -3.2 to -46 days, while those for later-flowering species range from +3.1 to +10.4 days. Advances of first-flowering in these 89 species are directly correlated with local increase in minimum temperature (T _min).     

Spring temperature and precipitation affect tobacco thrips, Frankliniella fusca, population growth and Tomato spotted wilt virus spread within patches of the winter annual weed Stellaria media

Effects of temperature and rainfall timing, amount, and duration on the spread of Tomato spotted wilt virus (Bunyaviridae: genus Tospovirus ; TSWV) and population growth of its primary vector, Frankliniella fusca (Hinds) (Thysanoptera: Thripidae), within patches of common chickweed, Stellaria media (L.) Cyrillo (Caryophyllaceae), were examined during the spring of 2004, 2005, and 2006. Elevated temperature treatments were investigated in an attempt to alter the age structure of F. fusca populations and change the effect of precipitation, but an average increase in daily temperature of 1 °C did not increase population size until late spring. Populations of immature F. fusca were immediately and negatively influenced by large amounts of rainfall or by rainfall distributed over three or more consecutive days during late April and early May. However, when precipitation was distributed over 1–3 days during early May, it also delayed senescence of the chickweed and ultimately resulted in a larger F. fusca population late in the season. The majority of TSWV spread within patches of chickweed occurred after mid-April. The fewest TSWV-infected chickweed plants occurred in plots that received high levels of precipitation during April or throughout spring and the amount of spread was directly related to the size of the immature F. fusca population that developed in each plot.     

Climate controls on vegetation phenological patterns in northern mid- and high latitudes inferred from MODIS data

Recent studies using both field measurements and satellite-derived-vegetation indices have demonstrated that global warming is influencing vegetation growth and phenology. To accurately predict the future response of vegetation to climate variation, a thorough understanding of vegetation phenological cycles and their relationship to temperature and precipitation is required. In this paper, vegetation phenological transition dates identified using data from the moderate-resolution imaging spectroradiometer (MODIS) in 2001 are linked with MODIS land surface temperature (LST) data from the northern hemisphere between 35°N and 70°N. The results show well-defined patterns dependent on latitude, in which vegetation greenup gradually migrates northward starting in March, and dormancy spreads southward from late September. Among natural vegetation land-cover types, the growing-season length for forests is strongly correlated with variation in mean annual LST. For urban areas, the onset of greenup is 4–9 days earlier on average, and the onset of dormancy is about 2–16 days later, relative to adjacent natural vegetation. This difference (especially for urban vs. forests) is apparently related to urban heat island effects that result in both the average spring temperature and the mean annual temperature in urban areas being about 1–3°C higher relative to rural areas. The results also indicate that urban heat island effects on vegetation phenology are stronger in North America than in Europe and Asia. Finally, the onset of forest greenup at continental scales can be effectively described using a thermal time-chilling model, which can be used to infer the delay or advance of greenup onset in relation to climatic warming at global scale.     

Influence of air temperature on the first flowering date of Prunus yedoensis Matsum

Climate change is expected to have a significant effect on the first flowering date (FFD) in plants flowering in early spring. Prunus yedoensis Matsum is a good model plant for analyzing this effect. In this study, we used a degree day model to analyze the effect of air temperatures on the FFDs of P. yedoensis at Wuhan University from a long-time series from 1951 to 2012. First, the starting date (=7 February) is determined according to the lowest correlation coefficient between the FFD and the daily average accumulated degree days (ADD). Second, the base temperature (=−1.2°C) is determined according to the lowest root mean square error (RMSE) between the observed and predicted FFDs based on the mean of 62-year ADDs. Finally, based on this combination of starting date and base temperature, the daily average ADD of every year was calculated. Performing a linear fit of the daily average ADD to year, we find that there is an increasing trend that indicates climate warming from a biological climatic indicator. In addition, we find that the minimum annual temperature also has a significant effect on the FFD of P. yedoensis using the generalized additive model. This study provides a method for analyzing the climate change on the FFD in plants'' flowering in early spring.     

Patterns of metamorphosis in summer flounder, Paralichthys dentatus

Summer flounder, Paralichthys dentatus , spawn over the continental shelf off the east coast of the United States from September to January with the peak in October–November. Based on plankton collections, mid-metamorphic larvae (stages G-H; mean s.l . 13.1 mm) enter Great Bay–Little Egg Harbor estuary in southern New Jersey as early as October with continued ingress through April. In the laboratory, mortality during metamorphosis ranged from 17 to 83% among treatment groups, and was significantly greater in flounder maintained at approximately 4°C relative to those maintained at ambient temperatures (daily average temperature 10.l°C). Laboratory-reared summer flounder averaged 24.5 days (range 20 to 32 days) to complete metamorphosis (from Stage F– to Stage I) at ambient spring temperatures (daily average temperature =16.6° C). The time to completion of metamorphosis in wild-caught flounder maintained in the laboratory was clearly temperature dependent. Both cold and ambient temperature treatments resulted in delayed metamorphosis such that, at ambient winter temperatures (daily average=6.6°C), partial metamorphosis (from Stage H – to Stage I) required as much as 92.9 days (range 67 to 99 days). There was no apparent effect of starvation on either mortality or time to completion of metamorphosis at cool water temperatures (< 10° C). It appears that prevailing temperature conditions influence the duration of metamorphosis in summer flounder, and that mortality during metamorphosis may play a significant role in the population dynamics of this species.     

Eastern deciduous tree seedlings advance spring phenology in response to experimental warming,but not wetting,treatments

Changing global climate, particularly rising temperatures, has been linked through observations with advanced spring phenology in temperate regions. We experimentally tested if regional climate change predictions of increased temperature and precipitation alter the spring phenology of eastern US tree seedlings. This study reports the results of a 3-year-field experiment designed to study the responses of eastern deciduous tree species planted in a post-harvest environment to a 2 °C increase in temperature and a 20 % increase in precipitation. Species were monitored for timing of germination and leaf out in four treatment combinations (ambient, warmed, irrigated, and warmed + irrigated) on 16 plots located in a recently harvested central Pennsylvania forest. The 2 °C warming advanced day of seed germination by an average of 2 weeks and seedling leaf out by 10 days among all species (both p < 0.001). However, increased precipitation did not result in a significant change in spring phenology. Species responded uniquely to treatments, with germination advancing in three of five species in response to warming and leaf out advancing in six of six species. Southern species projected to expand northward into the study region with rising temperatures did not show responses to warming treatments that would provide them an advantage over current resident species. Timing of germination and leaf out varied among years of the experiment, most likely driven by year-to-year variability in spring temperatures. The climate change experiment highlighted the potential of a moderate 2 °C temperature increase to advance spring phenology of deciduous tree seedlings by up to 2 weeks, with a lack of a phenological response to a 20 % increase in precipitation.     

西安和宝鸡木本植物花期物候变化及温度敏感度对比

植物物候是指示生态系统对气候变化响应的重要证据。已有研究多基于代表性站点的物候观测数据研究物候特征及其对气候变化的响应规律。同一气候区内,不同站点的物候变化及对温度变化响应的敏感度是否一致仍需深入探讨。本文选择同属于暖温带湿润区汾渭平原气候区的西安和宝鸡为研究区,利用"中国物候观测网"在两个站点21个共有物种的开花始期和开花末期数据,比较了1987—2016年两站点各植物花期物候变化特征及其对温度变化响应的敏感度差异。结果表明,西安和宝鸡各物种的开花始期和开花末期均以提前趋势为主。大部分物种开花始期在西安的提前趋势(平均趋势-0.57 d/a)明显强于在宝鸡的提前趋势(平均趋势-0.29 d/a),但开花末期趋势差异不显著。除紫薇和迎春的敏感度差异较大外,其他物种开花始期和开花末期的温度敏感度在两站点间非常接近,无显著差异。由此可见,在同一气候区的不同站点,因增温幅度不同,植物的始花期变化存在较大差异,不能用单站点的物候变化反映整个气候区的物候变化。但同一植物在单站点的温度敏感度可以较好的反映同一气候区其他站点的植物物候-气候关系。本文研究结果可为利用有限站点的物候观测数据分析区域物候...     

气候变化背景下华北地区冬小麦生育期的变化特征

以21世纪初近10年的冬小麦(Triticum aestivum)生育期调研数据和气象站点数据为基础, 利用“多元逐步回归分析+残差插值”方法, 绘制了2000年后华北地区冬小麦生育期等值线图, 通过研究两个时期(1971-1980年和21世纪初近10年)华北地区气候资源及冬小麦生育期的变化, 探讨了气候变化对华北地区冬小麦生育期的影响。结果表明: (1)华北地区北部年均气温及≥10 ℃积温增加显著, 但降水减少, 暖干趋势明显, 中部和南部年平均气温和≥10 ℃积温也呈现增加趋势, 但降水增多, 日照下降, 出现暖湿趋势; (2)除南部江苏、安徽两省冬小麦播种期无明显变化外, 华北地区冬小麦播种期普遍推迟, 一般在7-10天; 冬小麦返青期变化较为复杂, 西部地区的冬小麦返青期推迟2-10天, 而东南部的山东、安徽及江苏地区冬小麦返青期明显提前, 一般在5-7天; 华北地区冬小麦的拔节期提前, 北部地区幅度较大, 为5-10天; 冬小麦抽穗期推迟明显, 以华北中部和北部最为明显, 为10-15天; 除华北南部胶东半岛外, 华北大部分地区冬小麦成熟期推迟, 一般在5-10天; (3)气候要素的波动是引起华北地区冬小麦生育期变化的主要原因: 日照时数与冬小麦返青期和拔节期呈显著相关, 日照时数减少, 冬小麦返青期和拔节期提前, 而受年平均气温升高的影响, 冬小麦抽穗期有所推迟, 积温的增加对冬小麦成熟期有推迟作用, 同时降水对冬小麦生长的拔节和抽穗有促进作用。     

内蒙古中西部优势植物春季返青对降水的非线性响应

长期以来,研究植被物候变化与气候因子的关系多基于线性模型,事实上植被物候对气候变化的响应可能是非线性的。以1984—2017年内蒙古中西部温性典型草原和温性草原化荒漠长时间序列植被物候观测资料为基础,分析了近40年来气候变化背景下不同草地类型优势植物返青期变化特征及其对春季降水的非线性响应。结果表明:(1)温性典型草原冷蒿返青期主要受水分控制,与春季降水量表现为开口向下的二次函数关系。气候暖干化导致的水分亏缺是冷蒿返青期呈极显著延迟趋势(1.32 d/a)的主要原因;春季降水量超过60 mm时,冷蒿返青期表现出由延迟转变为提前的趋势。(2)温性草原化荒漠猫头刺返青期主要受热量控制。受春季显著升温影响,猫头刺返青期呈极显著提前趋势(0.63 d/a)。春季降水增多利于猫头刺提早返青,二者表现为开口向上的二次函数关系;春季降水量超过40 mm时,猫头刺返青期对降水的响应程度逐渐降低,这可能与荒漠植物本身的生理特性有关。     

Trends and temperature response in the phenology of crops in Germany

The phenology of 78 agricultural and horticultural events from a national survey in Germany spanning the years 1951–2004 is examined. The majority of events are significantly earlier now than 53 years ago, with a mean advance of 1.1–1.3 days per decade. The mean trends for 'true phases', such as emergence and flowering, of annual and perennial crops are not significantly different, although more trends (78% vs. 46%) are significant for annual crops. We attempt to remove the influence of technological advance or altered farming practices on phenology by detrending the respective time series by linear regression of date (day number) on year. Subsequently, we estimate responses to mean monthly and seasonal temperature by correlation and regression in two ways; with and without removing the year trend first. Nearly all (97%) correlation coefficients are negative, suggesting earlier events in warmer years. Between 82% and 94% of the coefficients with seasonal spring and summer temperatures are significant. The conservative estimate (detrended) of mean temperature response against mean March–May temperature (−3.73 days °C⁻¹) is significantly less than the full estimate (−4.31 days °C⁻¹), the 'true' size of phenological temperature response may lie in between. Perennial crops exhibited a significantly higher temperature response to mean spring temperature than the annual crops.     

Variations in satellite-derived phenology in China's temperate vegetation

The relationship between vegetation phenology and climate is a crucial topic in global change research because it indicates dynamic responses of terrestrial ecosystems to climate changes. In this study, we investigate the possible impact of recent climate changes on growing season duration in the temperate vegetation of China, using the advanced very high resolution radiometer (AVHRR)/normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) biweekly time-series data collected from January 1982 to December 1999 and concurrent mean temperature and precipitation data. The results show that over the study period, the growing season duration has lengthened by 1.16 days yr⁻¹ in temperate region of China. The green-up of vegetation has advanced in spring by 0.79 days yr⁻¹ and the dormancy delayed in autumn by 0.37 days yr⁻¹. The dates of onset for phenological events are most significantly related with the mean temperature during the preceding 2–3 months. A warming in the early spring (March to early May) by 1°C could cause an earlier onset of green-up of 7.5 days, whereas the same increase of mean temperature during autumn (mid-August through early October) could lead to a delay of 3.8 days in vegetation dormancy. Variations in precipitation also influenced the duration of growing season, but such influence differed among vegetation types and phenological phases.     

Breeding phenological response to spring weather conditions in common Finnish birds: resident species respond stronger than migratory species

National bird‐nest record schemes provide a valuable data source to study large‐scale changes in basic breeding biology and effects of climate change on birds. Using nest‐record scheme data from 26 common Finnish breeding bird species from whole Finland, we estimated the laydate of the first egg for 129 063 nesting attempts. We then investigated the relationship of mean spring temperature and spring precipitation sum to changes in the onset of laying over the period 1961–2012. In addition, we examine differences in response to these climatic variables for species grouped for different life history strategies; migration, diet and habitat. Finally, we test whether body size is related to the strength of phenological response. We show that 26 common Finnish breeding bird species have advanced their laying dates over time and to an increase in the mean spring temperature over the study period. When species are grouped according life history strategies, we find that breeding phenological change is negatively associated with changes in the mean spring temperature where residents respond strongest to changes in mean spring temperature, but also short‐ and long‐distance migrants advance laydates with increasing spring temperatures. Breeding phenological change is also associated with spring precipitation, where resident species delay and short‐distance migrants advance the onset of breeding. In addition we find that omnivorous species respond stronger than insectivorous species to changes in spring temperature. In contrast to results from an earlier study, we do not find evidence that small‐sized species respond stronger to spring temperature than large‐sized species. As climate warming is predicted to continue in the future, long‐term citizen science schemes, such as the Finnish nest‐card scheme, prove to be a valuable cost‐effective way to monitor the environment and allow investigation into how species are responding to changes in their environment.     

Local snow melt and temperature—but not regional sea ice—explain variation in spring phenology in coastal Arctic tundra

The Arctic is undergoing dramatic environmental change with rapidly rising surface temperatures, accelerating sea ice decline and changing snow regimes, all of which influence tundra plant phenology. Despite these changes, no globally consistent direction of trends in spring phenology has been reported across the Arctic. While spring has advanced at some sites, spring has delayed or not changed at other sites, highlighting substantial unexplained variation. Here, we test the relative importance of local temperatures, local snow melt date and regional spring drop in sea ice extent as controls of variation in spring phenology across different sites and species. Trends in long‐term time series of spring leaf‐out and flowering (average span: 18 years) were highly variable for the 14 tundra species monitored at our four study sites on the Arctic coasts of Alaska, Canada and Greenland, ranging from advances of 10.06 days per decade to delays of 1.67 days per decade. Spring temperatures and the day of spring drop in sea ice extent advanced at all sites (average 1°C per decade and 21 days per decade, respectively), but only those sites with advances in snow melt (average 5 days advance per decade) also had advancing phenology. Variation in spring plant phenology was best explained by snow melt date (mean effect: 0.45 days advance in phenology per day advance snow melt) and, to a lesser extent, by mean spring temperature (mean effect: 2.39 days advance in phenology per °C). In contrast to previous studies examining sea ice and phenology at different spatial scales, regional spring drop in sea ice extent did not predict spring phenology for any species or site in our analysis. Our findings highlight that tundra vegetation responses to global change are more complex than a direct response to warming and emphasize the importance of snow melt as a local driver of tundra spring phenology.     

Earlier flowering between 1962 and 2002 in agricultural varieties of white clover

Date of first flowering was recorded for 40 years in the same agricultural varieties of white clover ( Trifolium repens L.). Standard procedures, experimental conditions and germplasm allowed the unmediated effects of climatic trends to be observed. Flowering dates of the same varieties at the same site have become significantly earlier over this period, with an advance of first flowering of approximately 7.5 days per decade since 1978. Annual maximum, minimum and soil temperatures at the site increased during the 40-year period. First flowering dates (FFDs) were significantly negatively correlated with minimum and maximum temperatures during February and March and soil temperatures between January and April. Maximum, minimum and soil temperatures increased between 1962 and 2002 for these months. No significant correlation was seen between FFD and soil temperatures at other times of the year including the period of vernalisation during winter. The occurrence of ground frost in February was significantly correlated with later flowering. Total annual rainfall and the number of wet days in a year increased between 1962 and 2002. However, only rainfall in February had a significant impact on FFD.     

Changes in satellite‐derived spring vegetation green‐up date and its linkage to climate in China from 1982 to 2010: a multimethod analysis

The change in spring phenology is recognized to exert a major influence on carbon balance dynamics in temperate ecosystems. Over the past several decades, several studies focused on shifts in spring phenology; however, large uncertainties still exist, and one understudied source could be the method implemented in retrieving satellite‐derived spring phenology. To account for this potential uncertainty, we conducted a multimethod investigation to quantify changes in vegetation green‐up date from 1982 to 2010 over temperate China, and to characterize climatic controls on spring phenology. Over temperate China, the five methods estimated that the vegetation green‐up onset date advanced, on average, at a rate of 1.3 ± 0.6 days per decade (ranging from 0.4 to 1.9 days per decade) over the last 29 years. Moreover, the sign of the trends in vegetation green‐up date derived from the five methods were broadly consistent spatially and for different vegetation types, but with large differences in the magnitude of the trend. The large intermethod variance was notably observed in arid and semiarid vegetation types. Our results also showed that change in vegetation green‐up date is more closely correlated with temperature than with precipitation. However, the temperature sensitivity of spring vegetation green‐up date became higher as precipitation increased, implying that precipitation is an important regulator of the response of vegetation spring phenology to change in temperature. This intricate linkage between spring phenology and precipitation must be taken into account in current phenological models which are mostly driven by temperature.     

Climate change and shifts in spring phenology of three horticultural woody perennials in northeastern USA

We evaluated spring phenology changes from 1965 to 2001 in northeastern USA utilizing a unique data set from 72 locations with genetically identical lilac plants (Syringa chinensis, clone Red Rothomagensis). We also utilized a previously validated lilac-honeysuckle spring index model to reconstruct a more complete record of first leaf date (FLD) and first flower date (FFD) for the region from historical weather data. In addition, we examined mid-bloom dates for apple (Malus domestica) and grape (Vitis vinifera) collected at several sites in the region during approximately the same time period. Almost all lilac sites with significant linear trends for FLD or FFD versus year had negative slopes (advanced development). Regression analysis of pooled data for the 72 sites indicated an advance of –0.092 day/year for FFD (P=0.003). The slope for FLD was also negative (–0.048 day/year), but not significant (P=0.234). The simulated data from the spring index model, which relies on local daily temperature records, indicated highly significant (P<0.001) negative slopes of –0.210 and –0.123 day/year for FLD and FFD, respectively. Data collected for apple and grape also indicated advance spring development, with slopes for mid-bloom date versus year of –0.20 day/year (P=0.01) and –0.146 (P=0.14), respectively. Collectively, these results indicate an advance in spring phenology ranging from 2 to 8 days for these woody perennials in northeastern USA for the period 1965 to 2001, qualitatively consistent with a warming trend, and consistent with phenology shifts reported for other mid- and high-latitude regions.     

Survival, development and food energy partitioning of nase larvae and early juveniles at different temperatures

Survival was generally high, 94–100%, for newly hatched larvae of the nase Chondrostoma nasus held at 10, 13, 16, 19, 22, 25 and 28° C up to day 66 post-fertilization. The developmental rate decreased with age and increased with temperature. Specific growth rates increased with temperature; within one temperature range growth rate decreased with ontogenetic development. Food consumption and respiration increased with temperature and body size. A temperature increase from 25 to 28° C resulted in slightly reduced survival, minor acceleration of developmental growth and respiration rates, and impeded skeleton formation. Growth efficiency of consumed energy decreased throughout the larval period from 55 to 67% at the first larval stage (L1) to 36–48% at the first juvenile stage (J₁). A similar trend for assimilation efficiency and its utilization for growth was observed. The constant temperatures required by larval nase ranged from a minimum 8–10° C to a maximum 25–28° C. A shift of optimum temperatures, 8–12, 13–16, 15–18, 19 and 22° C for nase spawning, embryonic development, yolk feeding larvae, early externally feeding larvae and, late larvae and juveniles, respectively, paralleled the spring rise in the river water temperature. Larval and juvenile nase show high survival, growth and energy conversion efficiencies compared with other fish species. On the other hand, low survival rates and growth can be attributed to external perturbations; thus, young nase may be considered a good indicator of the environmental and ecological integrity of river systems.     

Seasonal variation in freezing tolerance of the New Zealand alpine cockroach Celatoblatta quinquemaculata

1. The cold hardiness of the alpine cockroach Celatoblatta quinquemaculata was investigated. This species is found at 1360 m a.s.l. beneath schist slabs on the Rock and Pillar Range (Central Otago, New Zealand). Cockroaches were collected monthly from January to December 1996, and their LT₅₀ and supercooling points determined.
2. Celatoblatta quinquemaculata was freezing tolerant throughout the year, with a lower lethal temperature in winter of – 8.9 °C. Celatoblatta quinquemaculata was also found frozen under rocks in the field when the under-rock temperature was below – 3 °C, and could survive being frozen at – 5 °C for 4 days in the laboratory.
3. There was a marked decrease in LT₅₀ temperature from – 5.5 °C in April to – 7.5 °C in May. This coincides with decreasing temperatures from summer through autumn to winter, during which temperatures beneath snow-covered rocks may reach – 7.3 °C.
4. Supercooling points fluctuated during the year, with an increase from – 4.2 °C in autumn to – 3.4 °C in winter. Supercooling point was highest in spring, and changes in supercooling point do not appear to be related to changes in LT₅₀.
5. Recordings of environmental temperatures from the Rock and Pillar Range suggest that cockroaches may undergo up to twenty-three freeze–thaw cycles in the coldest month of the year, and that they may remain frozen for periods of up to 21 h. Maximum cooling rates recorded in the field (0.01 °C min^–1) were 100-fold slower than laboratory cooling rates, so survival estimates from laboratory experiments may be underestimates.     

High and low temperature tolerances and their relationships to distribution of agaves

Abstract. The potential influence of tissue tolerances to extreme temperatures on distributional limits was investigated for 15 taxa (14 species) of leaf-succulent agaves from the south-western United States and northern Mexico. As a group, the agaves exhibited a moderate low temperature tolerance of – 11°C (based on a 50% inhibition in the number of mesophyll cells taking up a stain, neutral red). However, nearly all of the species were able to tolerate extremely high tissue temperatures of over 60°C. Nocturnal acid accumulation by these crassulacean acid metabolism plants was about 6°C more sensitive to temperature extremes than was cellular membrane integrity.
High and low temperature acclimation in response to changing day/night air temperatures was observed in all 15 taxa, with high temperature acclimation averaging two-fold greater than low temperature acclimation (3.8°C versus 2.0°C per 10°C change in ambient temperature). Species occupying the coldest habitats exhibited the greatest low temperature tolerances and acclimation; several such species, such as Agave utahensis and A. schottii , had small rosette sizes which resulted in higher minimum leaf temperatures. Species from the hottest habitats had among the greatest high temperature tolerances and acclimation; the two species from open desert scrub habitats, A. deserti and A. lecheguilla , had the lowest leaf shortwave absorptances observed, which would result in lower maximum leaf temperatures. Thus morphology and tissue tolerances to stressful temperatures reflect the temperature extremes of a plant's native habitat, although low temperature tolerance appears to limit the distribution of agaves more than high temperature tolerance.