Skip to main content
Login | Suomeksi | På svenska | In English

Thermoregulatory plasticity in flower spike pigmentation and reflectance in a northern population of Plantago lanceolata

Show full item record

Title: Thermoregulatory plasticity in flower spike pigmentation and reflectance in a northern population of Plantago lanceolata
Author(s): Burg, Skylar
Contributor: University of Helsinki, Faculty of Biological and Environmental Sciences
Degree program: Master 's Programme in Integrative Plant Sciences
Specialisation: no specialization
Language: English
Acceptance year: 2021
Abstract:
In this study, a greenhouse experiment was used to assess if temperature sensitivity, specifically, thermoregulatory plasticity, has a functional role in floral reflectance and pigmentation in a population of P. lanceolata grown in three different temperature treatments, reflecting past, present, and future summer temperatures. Spectrophotometry, surface temperature readings, and near-infrared (NIR) region image analysis were used to identify how the spectral absorbance properties and biochemical makeup of P. lanceolata flowers differed between treatments. Reflectance and phenolic absorbance were both found to be influenced by ambient temperature. However, surface temperature of flower spikes was not affected by growing temperature, reflectance, or phenolic absorbance. The results suggest that Plantago lanceolata may utilize thermoregulatory plasticity in reflectance and phenolic absorbance to adjust to rising temperatures. These findings have important implications in species reactions to climate change and denotes that increased selection on thermal function traits may occur under a future climate scenario of continued warming in temperate and boreal biomes.
Keyword(s): phenotypic plasticity thermoregulatory plasticity Plantago lanceolata floral reflectance flower color phenolics spectrophotometry image analysis greenhouse experiment


Files in this item

Files Size Format View
Burg_Skylar_thesis_2021.pdf 11.08Mb PDF

This item appears in the following Collection(s)

Show full item record