Evidence for Ideal and Non-Ideal Equilibrium Freezing of Leaf Water in Frosthardy Ivy (Hedera helix) and Winter Barley (Hordeum vulgare)

Xylem embolism and bubble formation during freezing suggest complex dynamics of pressure in Betula pendula stems

Freeze-thaw-induced embolism, a key limiting factor for perennial plants results from the formation of gas bubbles during freezing and their expansion during thawing. However, the ice volumetric increase generates local pressures, which can affect the formation of bubbles. To characterize local dynamics of pressure tension and the physical state of the sap during freeze-thaw cycles, we simultaneously used ultrasonic acoustic emission analysis and synchrotron-based high-resolution computed tomography on the diffuse-porous species Betula pendula. Visualization of individual air-filled vessels and the distribution of gas bubbles in frozen xylem were performed.. Ultrasonic emissions occurred after ice formation, together with bubble formation, whereas the development of embolism took place after thawing. The pictures of frozen tissues indicated that the positive pressure induced by the volumetric increase of ice can provoke inward flow from the cell wall toward the lumen of the vessels. We found no evidence that wider vessels within a tissue were more prone to embolism, although the occurrence of gas bubbles in larger conduits would make them prone to earlier embolism. These results highlight the need to monitor local pressure as well as ice and air distribution during xylem freezing to understand the mechanism leading to frost-induced embolism.

Is a seasonally reduced growth potential a convergent strategy to survive drought and frost in plants?

BACKGROUND

Plants have adapted to survive seasonal life-threatening frost and drought. However, the timing and frequency of such events are impacted by climate change, jeopardizing plant survival. Understanding better the strategies of survival to dehydration stress is therefore timely and can be enhanced by the cross-fertilization of research between disciplines (ecology, physiology), models (woody, herbaceous species) and types of stress (drought, frost).

SCOPE

We build upon the 'growth-stress survival' trade-off, which underpins the identification of global plant strategies across environments along a 'fast-slow' economics spectrum. Although phenological adaptations such as dormancy are crucial to survive stress, plant global strategies along the fast-slow economic spectrum rarely integrate growth variations across seasons. We argue that the growth-stress survival trade-off can be a useful framework to identify convergent plant ecophysiological strategies to survive both frost and drought. We review evidence that reduced physiological activity, embolism resistance and dehydration tolerance of meristematic tissues are interdependent strategies that determine thresholds of mortality among plants under severe frost and drought. We show that complete dormancy, i.e. programmed growth cessation, before stress occurrence, minimizes water flows and maximizes dehydration tolerance during seasonal life-threatening stresses. We propose that incomplete dormancy, i.e. the programmed reduction of growth potential during the harshest seasons, could be an overlooked but major adaptation across plants. Quantifying stress survival in a range of non-dormant versus winter- or summer-dormant plants, should reveal to what extent incomplete to complete dormancy could represent a proxy for dehydration tolerance and stress survival.

CONCLUSIONS

Our review of the strategies involved in dehydration stress survival suggests that winter and summer dormancy are insufficiently acknowledged as plant ecological strategies. Incorporating a seasonal fast-slow economics spectrum into global plant strategies improves our understanding of plant resilience to seasonal stress and refines our prevision of plant adaptation to extreme climatic events.

Freeze dehydration vs. supercooling of mesophyll cells: Impact of cell wall, cellular and tissue traits on the extent of water displacement

The extent of freeze dehydration of mesophyll cells in response to extracellular ice varies from supercooling to severe freezing cytorrhysis. The structural factors involved are poorly understood. In a comparison of mesophyll cells of 11 species, the factors "cell wall", "cellular" and "tissue" traits were investigated. The extent of freeze dehydration was quantified as reduction in the sectional area during controlled freezing in the presence of ice. The cell wall thickness, cell size, cell area and the relative area of intercellular spaces were determined. The modulus of elasticity was determined by psychrometry. To grasp the relationships between factors and with freeze dehydration, we applied a principal component analysis. The first two components explain 84% of the variance in the dataset. The first principal component correlated negatively with the extent of freeze dehydration and relative area of intercellular spaces, and positively with the squared cell wall thickness to cell size ratio, elasticity and cell wall thickness. The cell size parameters determined the second principal component. Supercooling appeared preferable in cells with a high squared cell wall thickness to cell size ratio and a low relative area of intercellular spaces. Such factors are hypothesised to affect the magnitude of negative turgor pressure being built up below the turgor loss point. Negative turgor pressure slows dehydration by reducing the water potential gradient to the extracellular ice. With high levels of freeze dehydration, sufficient intercellular spaces for extracellular ice accommodation are needed. The low relative area of intercellular spaces increases cell-to-cell contact area and could support tissue stability.

Seasonal changes in carbohydrates and water content predict dynamics of frost hardiness in various temperate tree species

Predicting tree frost tolerance is critical to select adapted species according to both the current and predicted future climate. The relative change in water to carbohydrate ratio is a relevant trait to predict frost acclimation in branches from many tree species. The objective of this study is to demonstrate the interspecific genericity of this approach across nine tree species. In the studied angiosperm species, frost hardiness dynamics were best correlated to a decrease in water content at the early stage of acclimation (summer and early autumn). Subsequently, frost hardiness dynamics were more tightly correlated to soluble carbohydrate contents until spring growth resumption. Based on different model formalisms, we predicted frost hardiness at different clade levels (angiosperms, family, genus and species) with high to moderate accuracy (1.5-6.0 °C root mean squared error (RMSE)) and robustness (2.8-6.1 °C prediction RMSE). The TOT model, taking all soluble carbohydrate and polyols into account, was more effective and adapted for large scale studies aiming to explore frost hardiness across a wide range of species. The ISC model taking the individual contribution of each soluble carbohydrate molecule into account was more efficient at finer scale such as family or species. The ISC model performance also suggests that the role of solutes cannot be reduced to a 'bulk' osmotic effect as could be computed if all of them were located in a single, common, compartment. This study provides sets of parameters to predict frost hardiness in a wide range of species, and clues for targeting specific carbohydrate molecules to improve frost hardiness.

Winter Nights during Summer Time: Stress Physiological Response to Ice and the Facilitation of Freezing Cytorrhysis by Elastic Cell Wall Components in the Leaves of a Nival Species

Ranunculus glacialis grows and reproduces successfully, although the snow-free time period is short (2-3 months) and night frosts are frequent. At a nival site (3185 m a.s.l.), we disentangled the interplay between the atmospheric temperature, leaf temperatures, and leaf freezing frequency to assess the actual strain. For a comprehensive understanding, the freezing behavior from the whole plant to the leaf and cellular level and its physiological after-effects as well as cell wall chemistry were studied. The atmospheric temperatures did not mirror the leaf temperatures, which could be 9.3 °C lower. Leaf freezing occurred even when the air temperature was above 0 °C. Ice nucleation at on average -2.6 °C started usually independently in each leaf, as the shoot is deep-seated in unfrozen soil. All the mesophyll cells were subjected to freezing cytorrhysis. Huge ice masses formed in the intercellular spaces of the spongy parenchyma. After thawing, photosynthesis was unaffected regardless of whether ice had formed. The cell walls were pectin-rich and triglycerides occurred, particularly in the spongy parenchyma. At high elevations, atmospheric temperatures fail to predict plant freezing. Shoot burial prevents ice spreading, specific tissue architecture enables ice management, and the flexibility of cell walls allows recurrent freezing cytorrhysis. The peculiar patterning of triglycerides close to ice rewards further investigation.

Short versus prolonged freezing differentially impacts freeze - thaw injury in spinach leaves: mechanistic insights through metabolite profiling

Plant tissues subjected to short or prolonged freezing to a fixed sub-freezing temperature are expected to undergo similar freeze-desiccation but the former causes substantially less injury than the latter. To gain metabolic insight into this differential response, metabolome changes in spinach (Spinacia oleracea L.) leaves were determined following short-term (0.5 and 3.0 h) vs. prolonged freezing (5.5 and 10.5 h) at -4.5°C resulting in reversible or irreversible injury, respectively. LD₅₀ , the freezing duration causing 50% injury, was estimated to be ∼3.1 h and defined as the threshold beyond which tissues were irreversibly injured. From 39 identified metabolites, 19 were selected and clustered into 3 groups: (1) signaling-related (salicylic acid, aliphatic and aromatic amino acids), (2) injury-related (GABA, lactic acid, maltose, fatty acids, policosanols, TCA intermediates) and (3) recovery-related (ascorbic acid, α-tocopherol). Initial accumulation of salicylic acid during short-term freezing followed by a decline may be involved in triggering tolerance mechanisms in moderately injured tissues, while its resurgence during prolonged freezing may signal programmed cell death. GABA accumulated with increasing freezing duration, possibly to serve as a 'pH-stat' against cytoplasmic acidification resulting from lactic acid accumulation. Mitochondria seem to be more sensitive to prolonged freezing than chloroplasts since TCA intermediates decreased after LD₅₀ while salicylic acid and maltose, produced in chloroplasts, accumulate even at 10.5-h freezing. Fatty acids and policosanols accumulation with increasing freezing duration indicates greater injury to membrane lipids and epicuticular waxes. Ascorbic acid and α-tocopherol accumulated after short-term freezing, supposedly facilitating recovery while their levels decreased in irreversibly injured tissues.

Freezing resistance, safety margins, and survival vary among big sagebrush populations across the western United States

PREMISE

Physiological responses to temperature extremes are considered strong drivers of species' demographic responses to climate variability. Plants are typically classified as either avoiders or tolerators in their freezing-resistance mechanism, but a gradient of physiological-threshold freezing responses may exist among individuals of a species. Moreover, adaptive significance of physiological freezing responses is poorly characterized, particularly under warming conditions that relax selection on cold hardiness.

METHODS

Freezing responses were measured in winter and again for new foliage in spring for 14 populations of Artemisia tridentata collected throughout its range and planted in a warm common garden. The relationships of the freezing responses to survival were evaluated in the warm garden and in two colder gardens.

RESULTS

Winter and spring freezing resistance were not correlated and appeared to be under differing selection regimes, as evident in correlations with different population climate of origin variables. All populations resisted considerably lower temperatures in winter than in spring, with populations from more continental climates showing narrower freezing safety margins (difference in temperatures at which ice-nucleation occurs and 50% reduction in chlorophyll fluorescence occurs) in spring. Populations with greater winter freezing resistance had lower survivorship in the warmest garden, while populations with greater spring freezing resistance had lower survivorship in a colder garden.

CONCLUSIONS

These survivorship patterns relative to physiological thresholds suggest excess freezing resistance may incur a survival cost that likely relates to a trade-off between carbon gain and freezing resistance during critical periods of moisture availability. This cost has implications for seed moved from cooler to warmer environments and for plants growing in warming environments.

Ultrasonic emissions during ice nucleation and propagation in plant xylem

Ultrasonic acoustic emission analysis enables nondestructive monitoring of damage in dehydrating or freezing plant xylem. We studied acoustic emissions (AE) in freezing stems during ice nucleation and propagation, by combining acoustic and infrared thermography techniques and controlling the ice nucleation point. Ultrasonic activity in freezing samples of Picea abies showed two distinct phases: the first on ice nucleation and propagation (up to 50 AE s(-1) ; reversely proportional to the distance to ice nucleation point), and the second (up to 2.5 AE s(-1) ) after dissipation of the exothermal heat. Identical patterns were observed in other conifer and angiosperm species. The complex AE patterns are explained by the low water potential of ice at the ice-liquid interface, which induced numerous and strong signals. Ice propagation velocities were estimated via AE (during the first phase) and infrared thermography. Acoustic activity ceased before the second phase probably because the exothermal heating and the volume expansion of ice caused decreasing tensions. Results indicate cavitation events at the ice front leading to AE. Ultrasonic emission analysis enabled new insights into the complex process of xylem freezing and might be used to monitor ice propagation in natura.

Characteristics of ultrasonic acoustic emissions from walnut branches during freeze-thaw-induced embolism formation

Ultrasonic acoustic emission (UAE) methods have been applied for the detection of freeze-thaw-induced embolism formation in water conduits of tree species. Until now, however, the exact source(s) of UAE has not been identified especially in angiosperm species, in which xylem tissues are composed of diverse types of cells. In this study, UAE was recorded from excised branches of walnut (Juglans regia cv. Franquette) during freeze-thaw cycles, and attempts were made to characterize UAEs generated by cavitation events leading to embolism formation according to their properties. During freeze-thaw cycles, a large number of UAEs were generated from the sample segments. However, the cumulative numbers of total UAE during freeze-thawing were not correlated with the percentage loss of hydraulic conductivity after thawing, suggesting that the sources of UAE were not only cavitation leading to embolism formation in vessels. Among the UAEs, cumulative numbers of UAEs with absolute energy >10.0 fJ strongly correlated with the increase in percentage loss of hydraulic conductivity. The high absolute energy of the UAEs might reflect the formation of large bubbles in the large lumen of vessels. Therefore, UAEs generated by cavitation events in vessels during freeze-thawing might be distinguished from other signals according to their magnitudes of absolute energy. On the other hand, the freezing of xylem parenchyma cells was followed by a certain number of UAEs. These results indicate the possibility that UAE methods can be applied to the detection of both freeze-thaw-induced embolism and supercooling breakdown in parenchyma cells in xylem.

Frost hardiness in walnut trees (Juglans regia L.): how to link physiology and modelling?

In the literature, frost hardiness (FH) studies in trees have often been restricted to one organ (buds, leaves, needles or twigs). To extend our knowledge and gain a unified view, FH differences between organs and tissues or throughout the life of the tree have to be characterized in relation to physiological changes. In this study, different organs and tissues of young potted and mature orchard walnut trees (Juglans regia L.) were compared for seasonal changes in FH during different years. FH was assessed using the electrolyte leakage method. Physiological parameters were concomitantly monitored focusing on two significant traits: water content (WC) and carbohydrate content (glucose + fructose + sucrose, GFS). No seasonal variation in FH was observed in the root system, but acclimation and deacclimation were observed aboveground. Among organs and tissues, cold sensitivity levels were different in deep winter, with buds most sensitive and bark most resistant, but acclimation/deacclimation dynamics followed similar patterns. Physiological variation was also similar among organs: FH increased when WC decreased and/or soluble carbohydrates increased. Based on these results, relations between soluble carbohydrate content, WC and FH were calculated independently or in interaction. The key results were that: (i) the relationship between FH and physiological parameters (GFS and WC), which had previously been shown for branches only, could be generalized to all aboveground organs; (ii) lower WC increased the cryoprotective effect of GFS, showing a synergic effect of the two factors; (iii) the best fit was a non-linear function of WC and GFS, yielding a predictive model with an root mean square error of 5.07 °C on an independent dataset and 2.59 °C for the most sensitive stages; and (iv) the same parameters used for all organs yielded a unified model of FH depending on physiology, although the variability of GFS or WC was wide. The model should be of value for predicting FH in walnut independently of previous growing conditions (i.e., after sublethal stress accumulation).

A semi-physiological model of cold hardening and dehardening in walnut stem

It has been hypothesized that the increase in temperature in this century could lead to an increase in frost damage to plant tissues. Several models have been proposed to describe the development of cold hardiness, but never taking into account extreme climatic and/or physiological events. Our results on walnut tree (Juglans regia L.) show that cold hardiness was best correlated with average daily temperatures minimal temperatures over the last 15 days before sampling (T(min 15 days)), indicating that the freezing tolerance depended on the tree's climatic history. Moreover, this study also shows that the accumulation of sucrose and the water content (WC) decrease are an essential step towards cold hardiness. Thus, a simple linear model based on climatic (T(min 15 days)) and physiological (soluble sugars, WC) explanatory variables was developed to predict the cold hardiness level in walnut stem at any time during the leafless period. Each of the three input variables can be assigned a specific role contributing to the simulated function, cold hardiness. The extent and robustness of this relation was assessed on extreme physiological events on walnut trees bearing three main branches. On each tree, one branch was defoliated to limit the local carbohydrate and transpiration, one was girdled to increase local carbohydrate and prevent carbohydrate export and the third one was kept untreated as control. As expected, these treatments impacted both local carbon reserves and WC in the stems born by each main branch in comparison with the control on the same tree. The impact of these treatments on stem's freezing tolerance, as evaluated by an electrolyte leakage method (LT₅₀), confirmed the direct impact of soluble sugar and WC on cold hardiness over a wide range of carbohydrate and WC. This is discussed in relation to the branch autonomy theory for carbon but also for water during summer growth and winter periods. The present study demonstrates the importance of physiological parameters in the prediction of cold hardiness and proposes a way to model cold hardiness with extreme climatic and/or physiological events.

Freezing cytorrhysis and critical temperature thresholds for photosystem II in the peat moss Sphagnum capillifolium

Leaflets of Sphagnum capillifolium were exposed to temperatures from -5 degrees C to +60 degrees C under controlled conditions while mounted on a microscope stage. The resultant cytological response to these temperature treatments was successfully monitored using a light and fluorescence microscope. In addition to the observable cytological changes during freezing cytorrhysis and heat exposure on the leaflets, the concomitant critical temperature thresholds for inactivation of photosystem II (PS II) were studied using a micro fibre optic and a chlorophyll fluorometer mounted to the microscope stage. Chlorophyllous cells of S. capillifolium showed extended freezing cytorrhysis immediately after ice nucleation at -1.1 degrees C in the water in which the leaflets were submersed during the measurement. The occurrence of freezing cytorrhysis, which was visually manifested by cell shrinkage, was highly dynamic and was completed within 2 s. A total reduction of the mean projected diameter of the chloroplast containing area during freezing cytorrhysis from 8.9 to 3.8 microm indicates a cell volume reduction of approximately -82%. Simultaneous measurement of chlorophyll fluorescence of PS II was possible even through the frozen water in which the leaf samples were submersed. Freezing cytorrhysis was accompanied by a sudden rise of basic chlorophyll fluorescence. The critical freezing temperature threshold of PS II was identical to the ice nucleation temperature (-1.1 degrees C). This is significantly above the temperature threshold at which frost damage to S. capillifolium leaflets occurs (-16.1 degrees C; LT(50)) which is higher than observed in most higher plants from the European Alps during summer. High temperature thresholds of PS II were 44.5 degrees C which is significantly below the heat tolerance of chlorophyllous cells (49.9 degrees C; LT(50)). It is demonstrated that light and fluorescence microscopic techniques combined with simultaneous chlorophyll fluorescence measurements may act as a useful tool to study heat, low temperature, and ice-encasement effects on the cellular structure and primary photosynthetic processes of intact leaf tissues.

Mesophyll freezing and effects of freeze dehydration visualized by simultaneous measurement of IDTA and differential imaging chlorophyll fluorescence

Infrared differential thermal analysis (IDTA) and differential imaging chlorophyll fluorescence (DIF) were employed simultaneously to study the two-dimensional pattern of ice propagation in leaves and mesophyll freeze dehydration as detected by a significant increase of basic chlorophyll fluorescence (F(0)). IDTA and DIF technique gave different insights into the freezing process of leaves that was highly species-specific. IDTA clearly visualized the freezing process consisting of an initial fast spread of ice throughout the vascular system followed by mesophyll freezing. While mesophyll freezing was homogeneously in Poa alpina, Rhododendron ferrugineum and Senecio incanus as determined by IDTA, DIF showed a distinct pattern only in S. incanus, with the leaf tips being affected earlier. In Cinnamomum camphora, a mottled freezing pattern of small mesophyll compartments was observed by both methods. In IDTA images, a random pattern predominated, while in DIF images, compartments closer to lower order veins were affected earlier. The increase of F(0) following mesophyll freezing started after a species-specific time lag of up to 26 min. The start of the F(0) increase and its slope were significantly enhanced at lower temperatures, which suggest a higher strain on mesophyll protoplasts when freezing occurs at lower temperatures.

Specific and unspecific responses of plants to cold and drought stress

Different environmental stresses to a plant may result in similar responses at the cellular and molecular level. This is due to the fact that the impacts of the stressors trigger similar strains and downstream signal transduction chains. A good example for an unspecific response is the reaction to stressors which induce water deficiency e.g.drought, salinity and cold, especially frost. The stabilizing effect of liquid water on the membrane bilayer can be supported by compatible solutes and special proteins. At the metabolic level, osmotic adjustment by synthesis of low-molecular osmolytes (carbohydrates, betains, proline) can counteract cellular dehydration and turgor loss. Taking the example of Pinus sylvestris, changes at the level of membrane composition, and concomitantly of photosynthetic capacity during frost hardening is shown. Additionally the effect of photoperiod as measured via the phytochrome system and the effect of subfreezing temperatures on the incidence of frost hardening is discussed. Extremely hydrophilic proteins such as dehydrins are common products protecting not only the biomembranes in ripening seeds (late embryogenesis abundant proteins)but accumulate also in the shoots and roots during cold adaptation, especially in drought tolerant plants. Dehydrins are characterized by conserved amino acid motifs, called the K-,Y-or S-segments. Accumulation of dehydrins can be induced not only by drought, but also by cold,salinity,treatment with abscisic acid and methyl jasmonate. Positive effects of the overexpression of a wild chickpea (Cicer pinnatifidum) dehydrin in tobacco plants on the dehydration tolerance is shown. The presentation discusses the perception of cold and drought,the subsequent signal transduction and expression of genes and their products. Differences and similarities between the plant responses to both stressors are also discussed.

Summer and winter sensitivity of leaves and xylem to minimum freezing temperatures: a comparison of co-occurring Mediterranean oaks that differ in leaf lifespan

Freezing sensitivity of leaves and xylem was examined in four co-occurring Mediterranean oaks (Quercus spp.) grown in a common garden to determine whether freezing responses of leaves and xylem were coordinated and could be predicted by leaf lifespan. Freezing-induced embolism and loss of photosynthetic function were measured after overnight exposure to a range of subzero temperatures in both summer and winter. Both measures were found to be dependent on minimum freezing temperature and were correlated with leaf lifespan and vessel diameter. The dependence of xylem embolism on minimum freezing temperature may result from the decline in water potential with ice temperature that influences the redistribution of water during freezing and leads to an increase in xylem tension. Winter acclimatization had a relatively small effect on the vulnerability to freezing-induced embolism, although leaf photosynthetic function showed a strong acclimatization response, particularly in the two evergreen species. Quercus ilex, the species with the longest leaf lifespan and narrowest vessel diameters, showed the highest freezing tolerance. This helps explain its ability to inhabit a broad range throughout the Mediterranean region. By contrast, the inability of the deciduous oaks to maintain photosynthetic and vascular function throughout the winter indicates a competitive disadvantage that may prevent them from expanding their ranges.

Freezing tolerance of plants: current understanding and selected emerging concepts

The formation of ice on and inside plant tissues represents a major challenge to survival. The resulting phase transition and spatial redistribution of liquid water from inside the cell to extracellular ice results in physical changes to cells and enormous physical stresses and strains. The ability of higher plants to acclimate and tolerate freezing stress is a complex quantitative trait and the product of the activities of not one, but a sizable suite of genes. Many of the known cold-regulated genes are under the control of a primary master regulator, CBF/DREB1, but it is not likely to be the sole master regulator. In considering the origin of freezing tolerance in higher plants, it has been suggested that freezing tolerance likely arose by adopting drought tolerance mechanisms. This may explain why many genes responsive to cold stress are also responsive to drought and (or) other osmotic stresses.Key words: abiotic, dehydration, gene expression, physiology, signal transduction, transcriptome.