2024 Author: Gavin MacAdam | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 13:38
Plants in arid places: deserts, steppes, mountain slopes, salt marshes, strive to preserve life-giving moisture. Long periods without rain force crops to look for different ways to harvest it
Here, the structure of the sheet has its own characteristics:
• boat;
• a special layer on the surface;
• cells with thin membranes;
• hairs;
• funnels;
• reduced evaporation.
We will analyze each of the methods using specific examples.
Boat
The deep grooves of the central veins look like real gutters. Through them, the liquid flows in a targeted flow directly to the base of the bush. Here she is stocked up with powerful rhizomes for future use. A striking example is the hellebore plant. Its deep grooves hold up to 500 ml of moisture. The leaves of amaryllis, tulips, decorative bows, daylilies are arranged according to this principle.
Special layer
The soil of the salt marshes, even in the rainy season, contains little water. During dry periods, it dries out and cracks. Therefore, the plants are covered with a salt crust held by special outgrowths. The shiny surface of the salt reflects the sun in hot weather. The leaves are saved from overheating and evaporation.
At night, due to its hygroscopicity, it absorbs moisture from the air, forming a brine of strong concentration. Leaves become damp. The plant absorbs water from the mixture using special cells.
Other crops draw moisture from the air with a sticky balm. These include balsamic cornflower, several types of resin.
Saxifrage, gentian have a calcareous crust on the leaf surface. It closes holes like a cork during a drought. In rainy weather, with abundant dew, it rises, saturating the bushes with the necessary nutrient.
The leaves of rhododendrons are covered with mucus secreting glands. It swells when it rains, then transfers the water to the suction cells. Seals openings tightly in dry weather.
Special trap cages
Cells with thin membranes, located in the path of the drain, are able to quickly catch the flowing down stream. This property is possessed by all types of ferns. Science knows cases of drying out of bushes, then their complete recovery after prolonged rain.
An interesting case occurred with the plant selaginella. A completely dried specimen lay in the herbarium for 11 years. Placed under glass in a humid environment, it actively began to grow. This is the amazing power of life!
Hairs
The hairs located on the leaf surface are able to catch and retain dew. Ferns, Icelandic moss extract the necessary moisture from the surrounding air with their help. Such adaptations are characteristic of orchid roots.
Funnels
The bases of a pair of leaves of Sylphium perforatum grow together at the stem, forming a small body of water after rain. Gradually, the life-giving element is absorbed through the culture cells, helping to survive a prolonged drought. Mountain and steppe teasers have an unusual inflorescence structure that traps liquid.
Reduced evaporation
The ability of crops to reduce evaporation is one technique for retaining moisture. It is achieved in several ways:
1. Wax coating of the sheet plate - repels water from the inner layers.
2. Narrow, upright leaves. The sun passes superficially without touching them. Overheating is reduced.
3. Folding the sheet plate into a tube. It is a wet chamber with moisture circulating inside. Common in some species of feather grass.
4. Absence of leaves in individual plants.
5. Succulents in rainy periods store water in succulent stems or leaf plates. In the dry season, it is used sparingly. A striking example is cacti, rejuvenated, agave, aloe.
In addition to the leaf structural features of the plants in the arid zone, there are other forms of adaptation to the lack of water.
A powerful root system helps to extract moisture from great depths and supply it to the aboveground part. There is an expression that the plant community of the steppe is an “upside down forest”. The length of the roots of such specimens is several times the height of the bush itself. The underground part of the camel thorn growing in the desert reaches a depth of 40 meters, the bush itself does not exceed 0.5 m. In some plants, the roots reach the groundwater. They branch strongly, feeding the above-ground part with the necessary water.
As you can see, nature generously took care of its pets. Created adaptations to help them survive in difficult conditions of prolonged drought. Many of these representatives have been introduced into the culture and are successfully grown in garden plots.
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