Abstract
A COMMON method of comparing rates of reactions or processes in biological systems is the use of the temperature coefficient, or Q10, the ratio of the rates of a reaction or process at (T+10)° C and T° C. James1 says of the Q10: “As it is readily calculated, easily understood, and carries no theoretical implications, it remains a useful and favourite method of recording the temperature relations of complex biological processes”. But because Q10 values of different processes tend to fall within certain limits, they are often used to indicate types of reactions that might be occurring.
This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution
Access options
Subscribe to this journal
Receive 51 print issues and online access
$199.00 per year
only $3.90 per issue
Buy this article
- Purchase on Springer Link
- Instant access to full article PDF
Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout
Similar content being viewed by others
References
James, W. O., Plant Respiration (Clarendon, Oxford, 1953).
Forward, D. F., Enc. Pl. Physiol., 12/2, 234 (1960).
Farrell, J., and Rose, A. H., in Thermobiology (edit. by Rose, A. H.), 147 (Academic Press, London, 1967).
Johnson, F. H., Eyring, H., and Pollisar, M. J., The Kinetic Basis of Molecular Biology (Wiley, New York, 1954).
Kotowski, F., Proc. Amer. Soc. Hort. Sci., 23, 176 (1926).
Harrington, J. F., Proc. Sixteenth Int. Hort. Cong., 2, 435 (1962).
Leach, L. D., J. Agric. Res., 75, 161 (1947).
Hegarty, T. W., in Proc. Nineteenth Easter Sch. Agric. Sci. Univ. Nottingham (edit. by Heydec Ber, W.), 411 (Butterworth, 1973).
Neild, R. E., and Greig, J. K., Agric. Meteorol., 9, 225 (1972).
Irwin, J. O., J. Agric. Sci., 31, 241 (1931).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
HEGARTY, T. Temperature Coefficient (Q10), Seed Germination and Other Biological Processes. Nature 243, 305–306 (1973). https://doi.org/10.1038/243305a0
Received:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/243305a0
This article is cited by
-
Uncovering developmental time and tempo using deep learning
Nature Methods (2023)
-
Higher N2O production in sequencing batch reactors compared to continuous stirred tank reactors: effect of feast-famine cycles
Frontiers of Environmental Science & Engineering (2023)
-
Ambient temperature and genotype differentially affect developmental and phenotypic plasticity in Arabidopsis thaliana
BMC Plant Biology (2017)
-
‘Safe sites’ for the seed germination of Rhus javanica: A characterization by responses to temperature and light
Ecological Research (1986)
-
Seasonal variations in the metabolic rates of zooplankton populations in a Thames Valley reservoir
Hydrobiologia (1985)
Comments
By submitting a comment you agree to abide by our Terms and Community Guidelines. If you find something abusive or that does not comply with our terms or guidelines please flag it as inappropriate.