- Is the maximum rate of photosynthesis in alpine plants lower, similar
or higher than in lowland plants?
Similar or higher
- The respiratory loss of CO2 by plants increases with temperature.
However, we should not expect alpine plants to lose more carbon when
it gets warmer. Why?
Because the actual growth temperatures are low, particularly
during the night
- Alpine plants commonly have a greater root mass than lowland plants.
Is the leaf mass per total plant mass thus lower?
No, the stem mass is lower
- (a) What is the temperature below which no plant can grow? (b) Is
there a temperature range at which alpine plants can grow faster than
lowland plants (when both are grown at the same temperature)? Just give
a rough verbal indication of the range.
(a) 0 °C
(b) Yes, at low positive temperatures
- The rate of biomass production of closed alpine vegetation is similar
to that of humid temperate and tropical lowland forests under one condition,
namely that the comparison accounts for
the length of the growing period.
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