Malia,
If I am reading your question correctly, any plant that is undergoing
evapotranspiration typically experiences evaporative cooling and will be
below ambient temperatures while this is occurring. Perturbations in
this effect, such as during drought-induced stomatal closure, can lead
to heat build-up and subsequent negative effects on photosynthesis.
Whether galling induces additional cooling effects beyond what is
experienced by a "normal" leaf experiencing evaporative cooling is
unknown to me, but would seemingly require some increase in
evapotranspiration in galled leaves. This might be expected for some
gallers, but unexpected for others, depending on hormonal changes in
galled leaves (e.g. whether changes in hormones like ABA would be
expected). It would seemingly be adaptive for gallers to help "cool"
their host leaves, lest they be exposed to high temperatures, while it
might be adaptive for plants to bake their gallers by locally reducing
evaporative cooling in galled leaves.
Don
On 4/17/2012 12:35 PM, R. Malia Fincher wrote:
I have been unsuccessfully (but briefly) searching the literature for
incidences of plants and/or galls on plants cooling themselves substantially
below ambient temperature. I have run across a fungal gall, with an
associated gall midge larva, that is 6-10 degrees C colder than normal
leaves and the ambient air temperature. I am aware of the capacity of
certain plants to warm themselves, but this is the first time that I have
encountered cooling. Is anyone familiar with such a phenomenon?
Thank you,
Malia
R. Malia Fincher, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
Samford University
Department of Biological and Environmental Science
800 Lakeshore Drive
Birmingham, Alabama35229
[email protected]
205-726-2928
Fax 205-726-2479
Office 133 Propst Hall
--
***********************************
Don Cipollini, Ph.D.
Professor- Plant Physiology/Chemical Ecology
Director- Environmental Sciences PhD Program
Department of Biological Sciences
Wright State University
3640 Colonel Glenn Highway
Dayton, Ohio 45435-0001
(937) 775-3805
FAX (937) 775-3320
email: [email protected]
Lab Page: http://www.wright.edu/~don.cipollini
Env Sci PhD Program: http://www.wright.edu/academics/envsci/
