A high-throughput method for measuring critical thermal limits of leaves by chlorophyll imaging fluorescence.

Plant thermal tolerance is a crucial research area as the climate warms and extreme weather events become more frequent. Leaves exposed to temperature extremes have inhibited photosynthesis and will accumulate damage to PSII if tolerance thresholds are exceeded. Temperature-dependent changes in basal chlorophyll fluorescence (T-F0) can be used to identify the critical temperature at which PSII is inhibited.

The thermal tolerance of photosynthetic tissues: a global systematic review and agenda for future research.

Understanding plant thermal tolerance is fundamental to predicting impacts of extreme temperature events that are increasing in frequency and intensity across the globe. Extremes, not averages, drive species evolution, determine survival and increase crop performance. To better prioritize agricultural and natural systems research, it is crucial to evaluate how researchers are assessing the capacity of plants to tolerate extreme events.

The host bias of three epiphytic Aeridinae orchid species is reflected, but not explained, by mycorrhizal fungal associations.

Premise Of The Study: The three co-occurring epiphytic orchid species, Sarcochilus hillii, Plectorrhiza tridentata, and Sarcochilus parviflorus vary in host specificity; all are found predominantly on the tree Backhousia myrtifolia but some also associate with a broad range of species. Despite this specialization, no fitness advantage has been detected for adult orchid plants growing on the preferred host. Therefore, we predicted that the host specialization of these orchid species is a consequence of a bias toward particular orchid mycorrhizal fungi, which are in turn biased toward particular woody plant species.

Significant phorophyte (substrate) bias is not explained by fitness benefits in three epiphytic orchid species.

Premise: Epiphytes rely on their phorophyte (host substrate) for support; epiphytic orchids also rely on mycorrhizal fungi for germination. Previous studies have proposed a degree of specificity in both interactions. Epiphytic orchids therefore provide an interesting system in which to examine multispecies interactions and the evolution of specialization.