Investigating Leaf Temperature Differences Between Evergreen and Deciduous Plants

Abstract

This study investigated differences in leaf surface temperature between evergreen and deciduous plants during the spring season in Vancouver, British Columbia. Understanding how different plant types regulate temperature is important because leaf temperature is closely related to transpiration rate and stomatal conductance, which influence plant adaptation to environmental conditions.

Leaf surface temperatures were measured using a digital contact thermometer on ten separate days between March 31 and April 26, 2026. Measurements were collected from healthy evergreen and deciduous leaves of similar size under comparable environmental conditions. Temperature data were recorded and compared to identify patterns between plant types.

The results showed that evergreen plants consistently maintained higher leaf temperatures than deciduous plants throughout the study period. These differences were likely associated with variation in transpiration rates and leaf structural characteristics. The findings support previous research suggesting that transpiration contributes to leaf cooling and that species-specific traits influence thermal regulation. This study provides further evidence that plant physiological characteristics affect temperature responses to environmental conditions.

Biographies

Biography (Junfeng Li)

Junfeng Li is a first-year student in the Vantage Science program at University of British Columbia. Their research focuses on differences in leaf surface temperature between evergreen and deciduous plants under similar environmental conditions. They are looking forward to learning more about plant physiology and climate adaptation at the conference because they are interested in how plants respond to environmental change.

Biography (Minjian Zhou)

Minjian Zhou is a first-year student in the Vantage Science program at University of British Columbia. Their research examines how evergreen and deciduous plants regulate leaf temperature under similar sunlight conditions. They are excited to explore more about plant-environment interactions and the effects of climate change on vegetation at the conference.

Biography (Yu Fu)

Yu Fu is a first-year student in the Vantage Science program at UBC. Their study investigates thermal differences between evergreen and deciduous leaves in outdoor conditions. They look forward to learning more about plant physiology and ecological adaptation through discussions with other researchers at the conference.