Variation in temperature tolerance in grasses and palMS and their relationship with leaf functional traits

Abstract

There exists very little literature about the upper limits of temperature tolerance of grasses and palms. This information is essential for assessing their differential vulnerability to change in temperature. This study investigated the upper limits of temperature tolerance of grasses and palms and looked at their relation with leaf traits such as Leaf Mass per Area (LMA) and Leaf Dry Matter Content (LDMC). It was found that there was a significant difference between the upper limits of temperature tolerance of grasses and palms, with grasses having a much lower heat resistance than palms. With extreme temperature events and heatwaves predicted to increase in frequency in the future, grasses are at a high risk as their habitat temperatures are approaching their upper limit of temperature tolerance. This study found a positive correlation between temperature tolerance and LMA and LDMC. This differential vulnerability to change in temperature amongst high LMA and low LMA species could lead to directional changes in our vegetation towards high LMA species. Since high LMA species are slow resource acquiring species with low productivity, this could alter the sink strength of atmospheric carbon for our vegetation and further exacerbate climate change.