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 th