Foliar summer frost resistance measured via electrolyte leakage approach as related to plant distribution, community composition and performance

1. Frost resistance (FR) is a fundamental process determining various aspects of plant life. Measurements of FR remain challenging as existing methods are time- and labour-intensive.
2. Here, we test the applicability of foliar summer FR measured via the ‘electrolyte leakage’ approach (FRPEL), a simple and inexpensive technique so far underused in ecological research to estimate FR. We tested the ability of this trait to predict i) species occurrence, ii) community composition along an elevational gradient, and iii) analysed its relationship to 9 other traits (SLA, Cmass, Nmass, Pmass, Camass, Mgmass, Kmass, canopy height and the ability to form rosettes) related to plant performance. We studied 183 vascular species occurring at 37 sites, which we also analysed in terms of species composition along an elevation gradient from 656 to 2363 m a.s.l. in the Bavarian Alps, Germany.
3. Species’ FRPEL values correlated significantly with the species occurrence along the elevational gradient. Ho...

1. 抗寒性（Frost Resistance, FR）是调控植物生命活动多维度特征的核心生理过程。现有抗寒性测定方法普遍耗时耗力，导致该指标的精准测量仍存在显著挑战。
2. 本研究针对通过‘电解质渗漏法（electrolyte leakage）’测定的夏季叶片抗寒性（以下简称FRPEL）的适用性展开验证——该技术简便且成本低廉，但目前在生态学研究中尚未得到充分应用。我们依托该性状开展了三项验证工作：其一，预测物种的分布概率；其二，沿海拔梯度预测群落组成；其三，分析该性状与其余9项与植物性能相关的功能性状的关联关系，这9项性状包括比叶面积（SLA）、碳含量（Cmass）、氮含量（Nmass）、磷含量（Pmass）、钙含量（Camass）、镁含量（Mgmass）、钾含量（Kmass）、冠层高度以及形成莲座状结构的能力。本研究在德国巴伐利亚阿尔卑斯山区设置了37个样地，共纳入183种维管植物，并沿海拔656米至2363米的梯度分析了样地内的物种组成。
3. 物种的FRPEL值与沿海拔梯度的物种分布概率存在显著相关性。Ho...