Comparison of development and physiology of Deschampsia Antarctica ecotype collection grown in two different temperatures

Deschampsia antarctica E. Desv. or Antarctic hairgrass, is a perennial plant belonging to the Poaceae family that grows in terrestrial ecosystems of Antarctica. Antarctic hairgrass, consistently attracts the attention of scientists working in various fields of biology since this species has unique adaptive abilities enabling to survive and reproduce in the extreme climatic conditions of Antarctica. Plants can grow from 0.5 to 25 cm in height. Young shoots are enclosed in a shell, and the leaves are sessile with linear leaf blades. D.antarctica can form clones of the correct shape with a lifespan of up to 35-40 years. Aging and death of old plants are often observed in the central part of the clone, and the cycle of formation of a new clone begins when the plant takes root in a new place (Alberdi and Corcuera, 1991; Lewis Smith, 2003 et al. ,). Temperature is the main factor affecting the rate of plant development. Laboratory studies by Bravo et al. (2001) showed that D.antarctica has a well-developed response to cold acclimatization and that significant cell damage occurs only in plants exposed to temperatures significantly lower than those at which they freeze. Another study by Cortez-Antiquera et al. (2021) with D. antarctica showed that plants grown in vitro are able to tolerate heat shock conditions at 23 and 35°C. The expected increase in temperature due to climate change and the potential for more extreme temperature events will affect plant productivity and several studies have investigated the effect of temperature on plant growth and physiology. Related with that, we aim to compare the effect of two different temperatures (12°C and 22°C) on the growth, physiology and morphology of D. antarctica plants which will be grown in climate chambers to provide a background on the response of this Arctic plant to increasing temperatures and to define the collection that we are preserving in our department.