Trees pretty much stay at ambient temperatures, meaning whatever temperature it is around them, their temperature is pretty similar. Some plants have really cool adaptations are able to cool or heat themselves.
To cool themselves, trees can allow more water to escape their leaves and cool themselves by evapotranspiration. This is kinda like how sweat works in people, they release water which evaporates the heat away!
To heat themselves, I think (and I'm not sure which species exactly do this) plants can kinda just allow energy to be burned in order to heat itself. That's kinda hard to describe since it goes into quite a bit of plant physiology, but there ya go.
2007-02-15 04:00:52
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answer #1
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answered by Miss Vida 5
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All the other answerers are correct, i'll just add this:
Since trees depend on whatever temperature is going on outside, you only find them active in places or times in which temperatures are permisive to photosinthesis (which, althoug it has optimal temperatures, can go for a wide temperature range)
However, metabolism always produces an amount of heat, since it involves a conversion of energy (not only for photosinthesis, for all the metabolic pathways too). Trees do have an active metabolism and produce this heat.
SOME very specific trees (like the Frailejon in the andes) have ways of "catching" this residual heat and keeping it close to the leaves, which allows them to perform photosinthesis at wider outside temperature ranges. This does not mean they regulate their temperature, they are just less vulnerable to outside changes.
In the specific case of frailejon, they have very thick tricomes (like fur) and they keep the dead leaves, which cover the stem. I'm sure there are other strategies, not only for low temperatures, but also for high ones which are as deletereous
2007-02-15 04:34:21
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answer #2
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answered by carlospvog 3
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trees luse the heat of the sun to keep them warm enough to stay alive (photosynthesis only works when the leaves are warmed by the sun).
if it gets to cold, the tree sheathes its leaves and goes into a form of 'hibernation' for lack of a better word.
2007-02-15 02:50:31
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answer #3
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answered by mrzwink 7
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Sure. Ambient temperature. As to develop and maintain temperature only warm blooded animals do that. Lizards, snakes, crocodiles can't do that.
2007-02-15 02:46:12
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answer #4
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answered by Catch 22 5
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