Abstract
ATTEMPTS to fit isotherms to certain limits of areas of plant distributions have sometimes been successful; but, for example, in the discussion of the areas given in the Biological Flora of the British Isles, only rarely is an isotherm limit shown. A July isotherm is given as an upper temperature limit for Lobelia dortmanna 1, and a July or August isotherm as a lower limit for Halimione portulacoides 2, and a January isotherm as a lower limit for Arbutus unedo 3; and in addition to these and some other examples in the literature, I notice that the January (actual) isotherm 35° F. gives an approximate fit for the southern limit4 of Andromeda polifolia. The fact of a broad coincidence between an isotherm and a limit of a distribution does not prove a relationship, but nevertheless a reasonable fit has usually been taken as indicating that temperature may probably be the limiting factor.
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JEFFREE, E. Temperature-Ranges and Distributions of some Vascular Plants. Nature 176, 703–704 (1955). https://doi.org/10.1038/176703b0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/176703b0
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International Journal of Bioclimatology Biometeorology (1959)
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