Learning Issues:

How the plant respond and adapt to the

environment changes???
 Group Members:

Lee Yian Ping D20091034823

Wong Li Hun D20091034877

Yee Chin Tien D20091034824

Wang Chiao Ching D20091034838

Plant Stress
CONDITION
MESOPHYTES
• Mesophytes make up the largest ecological group of
terrestrial plants which inhabit regions of average
water conditions, neither a particularly dry nor
particularly wet environment.


• This group of plants is intermediate between

Xerophytes and Hydrophytes, which includes the
majority of wild and cultivated plants.


• Mesophytes generally require a more or less

continuous water supply.
•
ADAPTATION

TO

ENVIRONMENT

CHANGES
 Leaves
• The leaves are green, well
developed and of
variable shape and
measurement.
• They are provided with
cuticle.
• The leaves have a greater
number of stomata on
the lower surface.
• Mesophyll layer in leaves is
well differentiated with
many inter cellular
 Cross-sections Comparing Monocot and Dicot Leaves

Mag. 40x
Midrib ( largest vein )

Which is the monocot?

Which is the dicot?
Epidermis Monocot leaf xs Stomata

Mag. 100x

Phloem
-lower layer
of cells in the veins Xylem
- top layer
of cells in the ve

Mag. 400x
 Dicot leaf xs
Mag. 40x
Cuticle

Upper epidermis

Palisade mesophyll
layer

Spongy mesophyll
layer Vascular tissue
(Vein) made of
Xylem

Lower Phloem
epidermis
Stomata

Mag. 100x

Stem
• The stem is solid, aerial and profusely
branched.

Root
• The root system is well developed and
provided with a root cap with the taproot in
dicotyledons and fibrous roots in
monocotyledons.


•
• Because of their lack of
particular xeromorphic
adaptations, when they are
exposed to extreme
conditions they lose water
rapidly, and are not tolerant
of drought.
• For example, in hot weather
they may overheat and
suffer from temperature
stress.
• They have no specific
adaptations to overcome
this, but, if there is enough
water in the soil to allow
this, they can increase their
rate of transpiration by
• In dry weather they may suffer
from water stress (losing
more water via transpiration
than can be gained from the
soil).
• Again they have no specific
adaptations to overcome
this, and can only respond by
closing their stomata to
prevent further transpiration.
• This does actually have some
benefits as it reduces the
surface area of the leaf
exposed to the atmosphere,
which reduces transpiration.
• Prolonged periods of
dehydration, however, can
Xerophytes
“Xero” means dry and “phyte” means plant

Plants that can survive in dry conditions where

the habitat is with little available water or
moisture.

Specialized mechanisms or structures mainly on:

- Minimize the loss of water
- Increase the water uptake efficiency
-Develop efficient storage system that
can withhold
available water for long time

Water stress habitats :

- Desert
- High Altitude & High Latitude
(low precipitation or water locked up as
snow or ice)
- Rapid drainage (sand dunes)
Adaptation To

Environment
Changes
 LEAVES
1 . Fold especially during the day
to decrease the number of the
stomata exposed
2 . Shed during dry seasons to avoid
water loss
3 . Well developed sclerenchyma
4 . No leaves or small seasonal
leaves that only grow after the
rains.
5 . Hairs allow water vapor to be
retained which reduces water loss
through the pores.
6 . Groove formed by the rolled leaf
acts as a channel for rain water
to drain directly to the specific
root of the grass stem
7. Thick waxy upper epidermis extends around the
rolled up leaf
e.g. Leaves of Mesquite (Prosopis)

-have cuticles ten times thicker than mesquite plants

which are growing in damp areas.

- adapted by having smaller leaves, grow compactly and

close to the ground, and a non-porous covering on their
leaves such as wax.
8 . Stomata
Fewer stomata & often only present on the bottom leaf
surface to decrease transpiration

Reversed stomatal rhythm
Sunken stomata in pits
- creates a relatively high humidity chamber &
decreases exposure to air currents.
 STEM
1 . Thick , leaflike pads covered by sharp spines(modified
leaves) to reduce the surface area for transpiration
2 . Succulents and have a thick waxy cuticle and
epidermis
e.g. - Sedum
- Large desert cacti (Carnegiea gigantia) literally
store ten tonnes of
water in their parenchymatous tissue.

Sedum Carnegiea gigantia

3 . Hairs to trap a layer of still & moist air
4.
6 . Main photosynthetic tissue where chlorophyll in
the outer tissue of their skin and stems to conduct
photosynthesis for the manufacture of food
7.
5 . Numerous cushion or pit - like structures known
as areoles on their surface, from which usually
emerge clusters of spines
 ROOT
1 . Extensive deep root systems
2 . Thin cortex provides a small distance between soil,
water and xylem
3 . Well developed xylem which allows rapid transport &
absorption of water
4 . Hydrophilic colloids accumulate in root cortex to
accelerate water absorption
- reduce the water potential of the root's tissue,
accelerating water uptake by osmosis
C 4 cycle
- e.g. bunchgrass
-More efficient in maximizing
energy gain than normal
photosynthesis although it is
not used by many plants

Crassulacean - acid
metabolism ( CAM )
-Allows stomata to be kept
tightly closed during the day
is an efficient way of
conserving water in dry
environments
q Slower growing requires less energy

qDormancy
-Seeds of Xerophytes lay dormant in the
sand until sufficient rain has fallen
-The seeds are coated in a chemical
that prevents germination until rain
has washed the chemical away.
-May remain dormant several years.
Abscisic Acid
Occur in mature, green leaves
Synthesized in cytoplasm of leaf mesophyll cell and
accumulated in chloroplast
Regulating stomatal closure during water stress
Regulating abscission and bud dormancy

Stomatal closure
In drought, leaves will synthesize high level of ABA
to allow stomata closure
Water will be stored during drought/water stress
Hydrophytes
 Definition :

Plants growing in water or on a substrate that

is at least periodically deficient in oxygen
as a result
of excessive water content.
ØThese conditions create anaerobic environments
that require plants to develop specialized
adaptations for growth and reproduction.
Ø
 Classification of
Hydrophytes
Floating but
rooted hydrophytes

Free Submerged but

floating not rooted
hydrophytes

Emergent but Submerged

rooted but rooted

Amphibious
and rooted
 1 . Free floating
hydrophytes
These plant float freely on the
water surface and are not rooted.
Classification of
Hydrophytes

Eg : Eichhornia
 2 . Floating but rooted
hydrophytes
These plants float on the surface
of water but remain attached to
the bottom of water reservoir by
their roots.
Classification of
Hydrophytes

Eg : Trapa Eg : Jussiaea
 3 . Submerged but not rooted

These plants occur below the water

surface and remain free being not rooted.
Classification of
Hydrophytes

Eg : Ceratophyllum
 4 . Submerged but rooted

These plants
Classification of

remain below
water surface
but are
attached to the
Hydrophytes

reservoir
bottom by their
roots.

Eg : Vallisneria
 5 . Amphibious and rooted
These plants grow near the water
reservoirs in shallow and muddy places.
Classification of
Hydrophytes

Eg : Marsilea
 6 . Emergent but rooted
These plants are found in shallow water.
They grow half below the water and the half
above it.
Classification of
Hydrophytes

Eg : Ranunculus Eg : Cyperus
Effect of prolonged flooding or soil
saturation :

1. Causes the leaves of most plants to turn

yellow and drop off.
2. Cause the roots to die from oxygen
starvation.
 Plant Adaptations for Life
in Water or Wetlands

A . Roots :

1. Shallow root system

i. Poorly developed.
ii. May even be absent
2.
4. Prolonged wetness causes a change in
root direction
i. Grow upward to the surface to
obtain oxygen.
ii. Grow horizontally to enable
the plant to get air near the
ground surface.
5.
3.Two types of water
roots:

i. Thin, many-
branched roots
growing at the
ground surface
ii.
iii. Thick, white,
weakly branched
roots that
penetrated the
saturated soil
4. Develop other roots, to compensate for
the dieback of primary roots:

i. In free floating plants, adventitious

roots are developed for buoyancy.
ii.
iii. Sheath-like root pockets are
developed to help the plants to float.
iv.
v. Spongy roots which are negatively
geotropic develop for floating.

5. Some root system well developed mainly

for the purpose of attachment
B. Stem and leaf :

1.Many marsh plants rapidly increase their stem

and leaf growth.
2.
3.The stems are spongy, delicate and flexible.
4.
5.A complex set of biochemical reactions
stimulates shoot elongation, allowing the plants
to move their leaves and stems out of the water
to photosynthesize and to move oxygen down to
their roots.
6.
7.Petiole
 Very long and delicate in plants with roots
attached and leaves floating
 Bulbous petiole helps the plant to float on
water surface
5.
6.Woody plants have lenticels on their bark

 To facilitate gas exchange between the

inner tissues and the environment.

 Lenticels permit a plant to take in air
and carbon dioxide and to release
gases like oxygen, a by-product of
photosynthesis.

 When flooded, the lenticels of many trees
and shrubs become fleshy and enlarged,
or “hypertrophied,” to increase gas
exchange

 C .Flowers :

üMost wetland plants

reproduce through
flowers, an adaptation
required for life on
land.
ü
üMost live in ponds, lake
and rivers

Since flowers must be pollinated by

insects or by wind, how do plants
living underwater become pollinated?
Many aquatic plants, like water lilies,
spatterdock, and pondweeds, produce flowers at
the water’s surface.
1. This plant produces separate male and female
flowers.
2.
3. The female flower is attached to a stalk that
elongates until the flower reaches the
surface.
4.
5. At the surface, the flower opens and is ready
to be pollinated.
6.
7. Meanwhile, the male flower breaks off from
the plant below and floats up.
8.
9. Reaching the surface, it opens and develops
into a sort of “love boat” that is carried
by the currents to a waiting female flower.
10.
11. Eventually the male flower unites with the
female flower and pollination takes place
 Stomata: why would the
Ecology : stomata be on the top?

Upper
epidermis

Note: Large air

spaces in spongy
mesophyll why might
this be helpful?

Lower epidermis: are

there any Stomata?
Halophyte
• Plants that can
inhabit areas of
HIGH SALINITY
such as those in
salt marches and
mudflats where
the salinity is
constantly
changing and may
exceed that of sea
water.
• Salt stress
• Example:
– api-api
(Avicennia),
Types
Classification
 Leaf
• Large central vacuole in thin-walled
celled of watery leaves accumulate
substantial quantities of salts.
• Salts are removed from the plant
when the leaf is shed.
 Stem
• Lenticels
– facilitates gaseous exchange
Root
Seed
Physiological
adaptation