Transcript Powerpoint - People Server at UNCW

Plant adaptations to light
Figure 6.6 (EFB)
Figure 6.7 (EFB)
Sun Plants
more Rubisco
less chlorophyll
small leaves
creosote
Shade plants
less Rubisco
more chlorophyll
large leaves
arum
Light Attenuation
A reduction in light intensity
due to absorption, reflection, etc.
Figure 3.3 (EFB)
Light attenuation occurs in aquatic environments as well
Temperature affects leave shape and size
Figure 6.11
In response to high temperatures, and
to limit water loss, plant morphology
can vary in having:
• serrated or lobed leaves
• small hair-like structures
• waxy cuticles
• small leaves
• no leaves
Plants may also be able to acclimitize to seasonal
shifts in temperature
-- reversible physiological changes to cope with
changes in local environment
-- acclimate = change induced in laboratory
-- acclimitize = change under natural conditions
Abcisic acid (ABA) produced to increase
cell membrane permeability
Response to photoperiod
Response to first frosts
Adaptations to water stress
Tap root in phreatophyte
Spreading root system at surface
Nutrient limitations and
carnivorous plants
Pitcher Plants
4 spp. in our area
Venus flytrap: endemic species to Southeast
Adaptations to limitations in gases: CO2 and O2
Hydrophyte with lacunae
Plant categories based on adaptations:
Xerophytes: desert plants
Mesophytes: temperate plants
Halophytes: salty soils
Hydrophytes: aquatic environments