Heat tolerance and canopy temperatures of Larix sibirica under highly continental climate in Mongolia’s boreal forest

Direct heat damage has been considered secondary as a cause of climate change-induced tree mortality and productivity declines in forests compared with climate change effects on tree water relations. However, evidence from temperate and tropical forests is accumulating that direct heat damage in the photosystem II (PS II) that is independent of water relations is also a realistic scenario under climate change. We analyzed PS II heat tolerance in Larix sibirica , which represents a dominant boreal tree species in Siberia and northern Central Asia in cold environments with subzero or near-zero mean annual temperatures, but nevertheless warm summers. Thermal imaging was applied to relate heat thresholds found in the laboratory to canopy temperatures in forests on north-facing mountain slopes, which are the main habitat of L. sibirica . L. sibirica showed slight decreases of the maximum quantum yield of PS II ( F _v / F _m ) at 35 °C and 40 °C after up to 4 h, but strong reductions at ≥45 °C and minor increases in F _v / F _m in late summer, which could be interpretation as heat acclimation. Canopy temperatures in the study year did not reach the thresholds for serious PS II heat damage. However, L. sibirica was more strongly sensitive to heat than temperate conifers. This first combined study of heat tolerance and canopy temperatures from boreal forests points to the possibility of low heat tolerance of boreal tree species, but such conclusion would require the study of more tree species.