Temperature limits for relictual rainforest Araucariaceae
Many relictual rainforest species, such as those in the Araucariaceae, are at risk from anthropogenic climate change. Offord explores the potential effect of climate change on Australian Araucariceae by investigating the upper and lower threshold temperatures at which foliage damage occurs, and finds that high temperatures pose the greatest threat as upward temperature shifts combined with localized radiant heating may increase canopy temperatures by at least 10 °C. Wollemia nobilis is the most sensitive of the species tested, which may explain why many landscape plantings of this species have failed in hotter areas of Australia.
