Plant Ecology in a Changing World
  • Topics
    • Topic Overview
    • Biomes and Climates in a Changing World >
      • Adaptation, biodiversity, and environment
      • Climate constrains plant distributions
      • Biome and climate relationships
      • Deserts
      • Grassland, savanna, and shrub biomes
      • Forest biomes
      • Alpine and tundra biomes
    • Plant adaptation >
      • Plant microclimate 1
      • Plant microclimate 2
      • Leaf energy budgets
      • Water movement through the soil-plant continuum
      • Principles of photosynthesis
      • Photosynthesis responses to light and temperature
      • Environmental stresses limit resource capture and use
      • Nutrients in the environment
      • Adaptation to environmental stress
    • Resource Allocation Changes with Environment >
      • Architecture and canopy processes
      • Plant phenology and resource allocation enhance performance
      • Leaf economic spectrum
      • Life history and reproduction
      • Defense against herbivory
      • Plant competition
    • Plant Responses to a Changing World >
      • Global changes occurring today
      • Invasive species
      • Atmospheric CO2 impacts plant
      • C3/C4 photosynthesis and climate
      • Climate change and the global carbon cycle
      • Climate warming and its impacts
    • Engineering Plant Communities >
      • Remember Utah's past and envision our future
      • Restoration ecology
      • Managed ecosystems
      • Utah urban ecology
      • Urban ecological futures
  • Assignments
    • Assignment Overview
    • Discussion
    • Problem sets
    • Ecology & Global Changes
    • Plant ecology policy
    • Defense of policy
    • Exam #1
    • Exam #2
  • Campus
    • Campus Overview
    • Grasses
    • Green infrastructure >
      • GI Overview
      • Stormwater >
        • GI 1
        • GI 2
        • GI 3
        • GI 4
        • GI 10
      • Green roof
      • Pollinator >
        • Pollinator species
    • Trees of the Wasatch
    • Shrubs of the Wasatch
    • Invasives
  • Biomes
    • Biome Overview
    • Climate diagrams
    • Vegetation sight-seeing trip
    • Biome images
  • Models
  • Lab
Topic 8a - Microclimate part 1

Essential elements from Topic 8A:
Here, we introduce the essential quantitative concepts necessary for you to understand the climatic drivers of microclimate and the ways in which the slope and orientations of both leaves and landscape slopes influence sunlight levels and ultimately plant function.
  1. Macroclimate and microclimate are distinct concepts. Almost all of the climate discussions so far in this class have been related to macroclimate.
  2. With respect to plant adaptation, it is important to understand both macroclimate and microclimate concepts. Macroclimate will generally provide useful information on whether or not a plant species is able to persist in that region. In contract, microclimate will provide useful information on topographical (slope, aspect) and height-related aspects that govern aspects of plant metabolism and phenology.
  3. The two wave bands of electromagnetic magnetic radiation influencing microclimate and plants are
    1. Solar radiation (directional)
    2. Terrestrial radiation (non-directional)
  4. Latitude, slope, and season greatly influence the patterns of direct solar radiation incident on leaves and slope landscapes.
  5. Leaves have morphological adaptations that impact the amount of direct solar radiation incident on a leaf:
    1. Leaf angle
    2. Leaf azimuth
    3. Leaf absorptance
    4. Leaf shape

In the independent XLSX module, we provide you with an excel spreadsheet that allows you to calculate the amount and duration of direct sunlight expected on slopes of different angle and orientation over the course of the year and for any location in the world.

Click here to download PDF of slides associated with Topic 8A
Click here to view YOUTUBE videos of Topic 8A
Jim Ehleringer, University of Utah