The Antarctic's only two flowering plants reveal opposing strategies for surviving long-term warming
A team of Chilean and Spanish researchers has published the results of one of the longest-running in-situ warming experiments in maritime Antarctica in the journal Physiologia Plantarum. The experiment exposed the Antarctic continent's only two native vascular plant species, Deschampsia antarctica (Antarctic hairgrass) and Colobanthus quitensis (Antarctic pearlwort), to passive warming chambers…
Over a period of seven years, researchers conducted an experiment on Antarctica's two native vascular plants, Deschampsia antarctica and Colobanthus quitensis, exposing them to passive warming chambers. The study, published in Physiologia Plantarum, revealed contrasting physiological responses of the two species to the same warming scenario.
Deschampsia antarctica, also known as Antarctic hairgrass, reduced its leaf hydraulic conductivity and photosynthetic rate, interpreted as a conservative water-use strategy. In contrast, Colobanthus quitensis, or Antarctic pearlwort, increased its hydraulic conductivity, photosynthetic capacity, cell-wall elasticity, and water and CO₂ transport.
These changes were supported by shifts in its vascular anatomy and cushion growth form, which helps conserve heat. The study highlights the importance of coordination between hydraulic function and photosynthesis in the survival of Antarctic plants, and demonstrates how each species addresses this challenge differently.
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