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

• Published in: International Journal of Molecular Sciences
• Main Authors: Matthias Stegner, Barbara Lackner, Tanja Schäfernolte, Othmar Buchner, Nannan Xiao, Notburga Gierlinger, Andreas Holzinger, Gilbert Neuner
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: MDPI AG 2020
• Subjects: alpine plants; cold hardiness; freeze dehydration; ice nucleation; ice management; low temperature; Biology (General); QH301-705.5; Chemistry; QD1-999; Ranunculus glacialis
• Online Access: https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms21197042; https://doaj.org/article/ab67225f94954b6c9a32f81c514ebdce

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.