Understanding the Increased Risk of Floral Damage in the Context of Climate Change
There is a great importance of grasping what our future holds when it come to climate change and how it will impact our world. This research is looking at the risks of floral damage from freezing on different types of flowers. To test the freezing tolerance of each type of flower, the plants were placed in a freezing chamber with a set temperature cycle. Two different parts of the flower (petals and ovaries) were used to determine how floral freezing could affect reproduction. Electrolyte leakage was performed to measure the tissue damage of the different flowers. Thermocouples were used to determine at which temperature each organ froze at. Multiple tests were done on trial flowers to discover what the best method was to secure the thermocouples to the organs. The last set of tests were to do a visual analysis on the plants. The results of this research could allow us to have a better understanding of how plants will respond to this major climate change our world is facing today.