Abstract
The annual course of frost hardiness and soluble carbohydrate content in leaves of woody Nothofagus species, located at different attitudes in Southern Chile, were studied. Frost resistance reached a maximum in the coldest period and a minimum in spring or summer. Leaves from individuals subjected to lower temperatures (higher altitudes) were more frost-resistant than those from warmer conditions (lower altitudes). Frost resistance was positively correlated with total sugar accumulation. In N. dombeyi sucrose was the only sugar whose content correlated with frost resistance. At higher altitudes a slight increase of fructose with respect to sucrose was found. However, the accumulation of the individual sugars measured accounted for only a small fraction of the increase in soluble total carbohydrates. Therefore the observed resistance is associated most likely with other factors. Artificial hardening at 0° for different periods of time caused changes in the carbohydrate levels of leaves. A rapid but small increase in the sugar concentration and frost hardiness after two hr of hardening were found. The nature of cold-induced metabolic adjustments and their ecophysiological significance are discussed.
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