From Canada To The Caribbean: Tree Leaves Control Their Own Temperature, Study Reveals
Tuesday, June 17, 2008 - 09:14
in Biology & Nature
The temperature inside a healthy, photosynthesizing tree leaf, about 21 degrees C, is affected less by outside environmental temperature than originally believed, according to new research from biologists at the University of Pennsylvania. Surveying 39 tree species ranging in location from subtropical to boreal climates, researchers found a nearly constant temperature in tree leaves. These findings provide new understanding of how tree branches and leaves maintain a homeostatic temperature considered ideal for photosynthesis and suggests that plant physiology and ecology are important factors to consider as biologists tap trees to investigate climate change.