Changes in water relations for leaves exposed to a climate-warming manipulation in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado

Relative water content (RWC) and water potential were compared for leaves of several plant species exposed to a warming manipulation at the Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory, near Crested Butte, Colorado, USA, to test the hypothesis that species-specific changes in water relations parameters will occur in response to future increases in planetary air temperatures. Leaves of Artemisia tridentata, Erigeron speciosus, Festuca thurberi, Helianthella quinquinervis, Potentilla fruticosa, Potentilla gracilis and Rhodiola integrifolia were collected from plants growing in situ in control and infrared (IR)-heated (22 W m−2) plots in a meadow near the upper elevational distribution limit for A. tridentata. For six of...

Categories: Publication; Types: Citation, Journal Citation; Tags: Artemisia tridentata (Asteraceae), Climate change, Environmental and Experimental Botany, Potentilla gracilis (Rosaceae), Relative water content, All tags... Sagebrush, Water potential, Fewer tags