Thermal decoupling and heat resistance of alpine plants from Nevados de Chillán volcanic-complex, Chile.

Description

We investigated plant thermal decoupling from environmental temperature using microclimatic and plant trait data combined with infrared thermal imaging. This dataset comprises four sheets: (1) Environmental data during plant temperature measurements, including air and soil temperature, relative humidity, wind speed, and photosynthetically active radiation. (2) Thermal decoupling data from infrared thermography measurements. (3) Architectonic traits associated with thermal decoupling, such as plant height, porosity, and circularity index, derived from field sampling and image analysis. (4) Heat resistance measurements based on changes in FV/FM. (5) A glossary of abbreviations and units used. All the measurements were made in 6 individuals per species, including 3 rosette and 3 shrubs alpine species. This study provides critical insights into plant thermal behavior and heat resistance, enhancing our understanding of the influence of environmental factors and traits on plant temperature—key to predicting plant responses to climate change.

Steps to reproduce

Research was conducted in the Aguas Calientes Valley (36°53’ S 71°23’ W), within the Nevados de Chillán Volcano complex, located 80 km east of Chillán (Ñuble Region, Chile). Six native species of two PGFs, plant rosettes (Hypochaeris tenuifolia, Phacelia secunda, and Viola Aizoon), and shrubs (Azorella prolifera, Berberis empetrifolia, and Senecio pachyphyllos) were studied. A thermal imaging camera (Testo 885, Testo INC, Lenzkirch, Germany) was used to measure surface plant temperature. Air Temperature (AT, °C), Relative Humidity (RH, %), and wind speed (WS, km h-1), were measured using a Kestrel 3000 Pocket Weather meter (Nielsen-Kellerman Co, USA) and Photosynthetic Active Radiation (PAR, µmol m-2 s-1), measured using a LI-250Q Light Meter (Li-Cor, Lincoln, Nebraska, USA). The plant area (cm2), porosity index (PI), and circularity index (CI) were estimated through images analyzed with ImageJ software (Fig. S3; v1.53t, Wayne Rasband, NIH, Bethesda, Maryland, USA). A chlorophyll fluorimeter (Plant Efficiency Analyzer, Hansatech, Germany) was used to determine heat resistance (LT50).

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