Thermoregulatory plasticity in flower spike pigmentation and reflectance in a northern population of Plantago lanceolata

Abstract

In this study, a greenhouse experiment was used to assess if temperature sensitivity, specifically, thermoregulatory plasticity, has a functional role in floral reflectance and pigmentation in a population of P. lanceolata grown in three different temperature treatments, reflecting past, present, and future summer temperatures. Spectrophotometry, surface temperature readings, and near-infrared (NIR) region image analysis were used to identify how the spectral absorbance properties and biochemical makeup of P. lanceolata flowers differed between treatments. Reflectance and phenolic absorbance were both found to be influenced by ambient temperature. However, surface temperature of flower spikes was not affected by growing temperature, reflectance, or phenolic absorbance. The results suggest that Plantago lanceolata may utilize thermoregulatory plasticity in reflectance and phenolic absorbance to adjust to rising temperatures. These findings have important implications in species reactions to climate change and denotes that increased selection on thermal function traits may occur under a future climate scenario of continued warming in temperate and boreal biomes.