New Zealand Journal of Botany abstracts

---

Changes in non-structural carbohydrate contents of Chionochloa rigida and C. macra during winter

P. Bannister and G. Ward

Department of Botany, University of Otago, P.O. Box 56, Dunedin, New Zealand

Abstract Changes in the non-structural carbohydrate content of tillers of snow tussocks {Chionochloa macra from 1590 m, C. rigida from 1220 m and 910 m) transplanted from the Old Man Range, Central Otago, New Zealand, to a site near sea-level in Dunedin were studied during June, July, and August 1979. Decreases in carbohydrate contents of tillers of C. macra, and increases in C. rigida from 910 m, were significantly correlated with increases in temperature and daylength during the period. Tillers of C. rigida from 1220 m showed little change in carbohydrate content. High winter temperatures, which would maximise respiration and the depletion of carbohydrate reserves, may set a lower altitudinal limit for C. macra.

Keywords Chionochloa; carbohydrate content; grass tillers; winter temperature; day-length; altitude; physiology; ecology

Received 14 July 1980
New Zealand Journal of Botany, 1981, Vol. 19:233-239

PDF file of entire paper: medium quality (570K); (scanned from paper original: notes about this process)

---

This year's abstracts | Journal home page | All abstracts | Publishing home page