Freezing Hardiness in Alpine Plants
高山植物的抗寒抗冻特性

Living conditions for plants in the mountains, become increasingly less favorable with increasing altitude. In the alpine region, the plants are commonly exposed to daily rather than seasonal temperature fluctuations and by frequent freezing temperature. Alpine plants as compared with general plain plants, possess special acclimation mechanisims that allow them to survive freezing temperatures. Adaptation mechanisms of photosynthesis and respiration to freezing stress for alpine plants are reviewed in this paper. Contrasting physiological and morphological adaptations related to the avoidance or tolerance of tissue-freezing have been described and discussed in plants growing in geographically isolated regions of the high-elevation, where nocturnal freezing temperatures may occur thoughout the year.