Thermal performance of Wolffia globosa under climate change: heatwaves impair population growth
Kim Cuddington, Melanie Kuntze, Debora Andrade-Pereira, Yvan Gasmen, Jiayi Wu, Ashley Ferns, Xuewen Geng

TL;DR
Wolffia globosa, a tropical duckweed used for food, shows reduced growth during heatwaves despite thriving under higher average temperatures.
Contribution
The first thermal performance curve for Wolffia globosa population growth under climate change conditions is presented.
Findings
Constant high temperatures under future climate scenarios do not significantly reduce growth rates.
Heatwave-like temperature fluctuations significantly lower growth rates due to increased frond death.
Wolffia globosa may recover faster from extreme heat events compared to other crops due to its fast growth rate.
Abstract
Climate change impacts on temperature may alter the availability of plants used for food. Some species may have asymmetric responses to temperature, with growth rates that fall rapidly at temperatures above the optimum. As a result, even if mean temperatures increase towards optimal conditions, fluctuations about this mean can substantially decrease growth. We use Wolffia globosa, a tropical duckweed harvested for food in Southeast Asia, to examine the impacts of predicted changes in temperatures. This aquatic plant has a fast growth rate, a high protein content, and is also a source of important nutrients. Therefore, it could play an important role in food security under climate change. For constant temperatures there is no significant difference between growth at current conditions and those predicted in the next 40 years according to the high emissions scenario (SSP5-8.5 scenario) in…
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Taxonomy
TopicsConstructed Wetlands for Wastewater Treatment · Coastal wetland ecosystem dynamics · Peatlands and Wetlands Ecology
