ibclogo XVI International Botanical Congess


Abstract Number: 3302
Session = 12.17.1


THE DISCOVERY, PUZZLE, AND SCOPE OF DESICCATION TOLERANCE IN PLANTS


Peter Alpert, Dept. of Biology, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA 01003-5810, USA


The modern scientific study of desiccation tolerance began in 1702. By 1860, the controversy over whether organisms could dry up without dying had reached such a pitch that a special French commission was convened to adjudicate. We now know that a wide variety of organisms can tolerate desiccation, including bryophytes, ferns, and a few flowering plants. However, two puzzles remain. First, what is the mechanism? Recent studies suggest that there may be two types of mechanisms for desiccation tolerance in plants, with separate evolutionary origins. Second, why are desiccation-tolerant plants not more ecologically successful? One hypothesis is that repeated cycles of wetting and drying limit net carbon uptake and reduce the ability of desiccation-tolerant plants to compete with other plants and to maintain a cumulative net carbon gain.


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