16 Many spring geophytes exhibit greater growth at colder than at warmer temperatures. Previous 17 studies have suggested that there is less disequilibrium between source and sink activity at low 18 temperature, which delays leaf senescence and leads to higher accumulation of biomass in the 19 perennial organ. We hypothesize that dark respiration acclimates to temperature at both leaf and 20 bulb level, mainly via the alternative pathway, as a way to reduce source-sink imbalance. 21 Erythronium

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... americanum was grown under three temperature regimes, 8/6 °C, 12/8 °C and 22 18/14 °C (day/night). Plant respiratory rates were measured at both growth and common 23 temperature to determine whether differences were due to direct effects of temperature on 24 respiratory rates or to acclimation. Leaf dark respiration exhibited homeostasis, which together 25 with lower assimilation at low growth temperature, most likely reduced the quantity of C