Psammophyte

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Psammophytes of three different species in the Sahara desert Sahara 05.jpg
Psammophytes of three different species in the Sahara desert

A psammophyte is a plant that grows in sandy and often unstable soils. Psammophytes are commonly found growing on beaches, deserts, and sand dunes. Because they thrive in these challenging or inhospitable habitats, psammophytes are considered extremophiles, and are further classified as a type of psammophile.

Contents

Etymology

The word "psammophyte" consists of two Greek roots, psamm-, meaning "sand", and -phyte, meaning "plant". [1] [2] [3] The term "psammophyte" first entered English in the early twentieth century via German botanical terminology. [4]

Description

Psammophytes are found in many different plant families, so may not share specific morphological or phytochemical traits. They also come in a variety of plant life-forms, including annual ephemerals, perennials, subshrubs, hemicryptophytes, and many others. [5] [6] What the many diverse psammophytes have in common is a resilience to harsh or rapidly fluctuating environmental factors, such as shifting soils, strong winds, intense sunlight exposure, or saltwater exposure, depending on the habitat. [6] [7] Psammophytes often have specialized traits, such as unusually tenacious or resilient roots that enable them to anchor and thrive despite various environmental stressors. [8] Those growing in arid regions have evolved highly efficient physiological mechanisms that enable them to survive despite limited water availability. [9] [10]

Distribution and habitat

Grass family psammophytes of the Sahara desert in Algeria Sahara 04.jpg
Grass family psammophytes of the Sahara desert in Algeria
Psammophytes growing in sand drifts at Duna de Bolonia in Tarifa, Spain Bolonia (1981) 05.jpg
Psammophytes growing in sand drifts at Duna de Bolonia in Tarifa, Spain
Haloxylon ammodendron, Mongolian psammophyte Haloxylon ammodendron level.jpg
Haloxylon ammodendron , Mongolian psammophyte

Psammophytes grow in regions all over the world and can be found on sandy, unstable soils of beaches, deserts, and sand dunes. [5] [6] [7] [11] [12] In China's autonomous Inner Mongolia region, psammophytic woodlands are found in steppe habitats. [13]

Ecology

Psammophytes often play an important ecological role by contributing some degree of soil stabilization in their sandy habitats. [14] They can also play an important role in soil nutrient dynamics. [15] Depending on the factors at play at a given site, psammophyte communities exhibit varying degrees of species diversity. [16] [17] [5] [12] For example, in the dunes of the Sahara Desert, psammophyte communities exhibit limited diversity and are predominantly made up of plants from the grass and mustard families. [5]

Like many other types of plants, psammophytes can have symbiotic relationships with microorganisms called endophytes that live inside of their tissues, which can impart enhanced growth or other benefits. [18]

Conservation

A major threat to psammophytes in many regions is dune destabilization, which is exacerbated by human development projects and factors associated with climate change, such as drought and temperature increases. [11] Encroachment of non-psammophytic plants and invasive species poses another threat to psammophyte species in some areas. [12] [16] [19] Ecological restoration efforts in psammophyte habitats often aim to utilize the natural soil stabilizing and nutrient enhancement abilities of psammophytes as part of restoration strategies. [16] [15] Another important strategy is restoring and protecting the requisite soil microbiome some psammophytes require to thrive. [19]

China's Minqin Garden of Desert Plants is one organization that is actively working on efforts to conserve both wild and horticultural psammophyte species. [20]

Examples

Some examples of psammophyte species include:


See also

References

  1. ↑ "psammophyte". Merriam-Webster. 2015. Retrieved 2022-05-07.
  2. ↑ Harper, Douglas (2015). "sand (n.)". Etymonline. Retrieved 2022-05-07.
  3. ↑ Harper, Douglas (2015). "phyto-". Etymonline. Retrieved 2022-05-07.
  4. ↑ "psammophyte". Oxford: Lexico. 2022. Retrieved 2022-05-07.[ dead link ]
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 Azizi, Marouane; Chenchouni, Haroun; Belarouci, Mohammed El Hafedh; Bradai, Lyès; Bouallala, M'hammed (2021). "Diversity of psammophyte communities on sand dunes and sandy soils of the northern Sahara desert". Journal of King Saud University - Science. 33 (8) 101656. Elsevier BV. doi: 10.1016/j.jksus.2021.101656 . ISSN   1018-3647. S2CID   239955631.
  6. 1 2 3 4 Neto, Carlos; Fonseca, João Paulo; Costa, José Carlos; Bioret, Frédéric (2015-01-02). "Ecology and phytosociology of endangered psammophytic species of the Omphalodes genus in western Europe". Acta Botanica Gallica. 162 (1). Informa UK Limited: 37–54. Bibcode:2015AcBG..162...37N. doi:10.1080/12538078.2014.981290. hdl: 10400.5/7798 . ISSN   1253-8078. S2CID   85794427.
  7. 1 2 3 Qu, H; Zhao, H; Zhou, R; Zuo, X; Luo, Y; Wang, J; Orr, BJ (2014-02-21). "Effects of sand burial on the survival and physiology of three psammophytes of Northern China". African Journal of Biotechnology. 11 (20): 4518–4529. ISSN   1684-5315 . Retrieved 2022-05-08.
  8. ↑ Jian-Hui, DU; An-Long, LIU; Yu-Xiang, DONG; Mian-You, HU; Jie, LIANG; LI Wei, and (2014). "Architectural characteristics of roots in typical coastal psammophytes of South China". Chinese Journal of Plant Ecology. 38 (8): 889–896. doi:10.3724/sp.j.1258.2014.00083. ISSN   1005-264X.
  9. ↑ Liu, Meiling; Zhu, Ruiqing; Zhang, Zhishan; Liu, Lichao; Hui, Rong; Bao, Jingting; Zhang, Hao (2016-03-02). "Water use traits and survival mechanisms of psammophytes in arid ecosystems". Arid Land Research and Management. 30 (2). Informa UK Limited: 166–180. Bibcode:2016ALRM...30..166L. doi:10.1080/15324982.2015.1090498. ISSN   1532-4982. S2CID   130013224.
  10. 1 2 Zhao, Li; Li, Wanjing; Yang, Guang; Yan, Ke; He, Xinlin; Li, Fadong; Gao, Yongli; Tian, Lijun (2021-02-11). "Moisture, Temperature, and Salinity of a Typical Desert Plant (Haloxylon ammodendron) in an Arid Oasis of Northwest China". Sustainability. 13 (4): 1908. Bibcode:2021Sust...13.1908Z. doi: 10.3390/su13041908 . ISSN   2071-1050.
  11. 1 2 Thomas, Kathryn A.; Redsteer, Margaret H. (2016-04-27). "Vegetation of semi-stable rangeland dunes of the Navajo Nation, Southwestern USA". Arid Land Research and Management. 30 (4). Informa UK Limited: 400–411. Bibcode:2016ALRM...30..400T. doi:10.1080/15324982.2016.1138157. ISSN   1532-4982. S2CID   131666486.
  12. 1 2 3 Valcheva, Magdalena; Sopotlieva, Desislava; Meshinev, Tenyo; Apostolova, Iva (2018-09-06). "Is penetration of non-psammophytes an underestimated threat to sand dunes? - a case study from western Pontic coast". Journal of Coastal Conservation. 23 (2). Springer Science and Business Media LLC: 271–281. doi:10.1007/s11852-018-0656-3. ISSN   1400-0350. S2CID   134078826.
  13. ↑ Cui, Haiting; Liu, Hongyan; Yong, Shipeng (2009). "Psammophytic woodlands of the steppe zone in Inner Mongolia". Contemporary Problems of Ecology. 2 (4). Pleiades Publishing Ltd: 348–352. Bibcode:2009CPrEc...2..348C. doi:10.1134/s1995425509040080. ISSN   1995-4255. S2CID   9173750.
  14. ↑ Symonides, E. (1985). "Population Structure of Psammophyte Vegetation". The Population Structure of Vegetation. Dordrecht: Springer Netherlands. pp. 265–291. doi:10.1007/978-94-009-5500-4_12. ISBN   978-94-010-8927-2.
  15. 1 2 Ning, Zhiying; Zhao, Xueyong; Li, Yulin; Wang, Lilong; Lian, Jie; Yang, Hongling; Li, Yuqiang (2021). "Plant community C:N:P stoichiometry is mediated by soil nutrients and plant functional groups during grassland desertification". Ecological Engineering. 162 106179. Elsevier BV. Bibcode:2021EcEng.16206179N. doi:10.1016/j.ecoleng.2021.106179. ISSN   0925-8574. S2CID   233532891.
  16. 1 2 3 Martínez, M. Luisa; Hesp, Patrick A.; Gallego-Fernández, Juan B. (2013). "Coastal Dune Restoration: Trends and Perspectives". Restoration of Coastal Dunes. Springer Series on Environmental Management. Berlin, Heidelberg: Springer Berlin Heidelberg. pp. 323–339. doi:10.1007/978-3-642-33445-0_20. ISBN   978-3-642-33444-3. ISSN   0172-6161.
  17. ↑ Liu, Zhimin; Li, Xiaolan; Yan, Qiaoling; Wu, Jianguo (2007). "Species richness and vegetation pattern in interdune lowlands of an active dune field in Inner Mongolia, China". Biological Conservation. 140 (1–2). Elsevier BV: 29–39. Bibcode:2007BCons.140...29L. doi:10.1016/j.biocon.2007.07.030. ISSN   0006-3207. S2CID   38620804.
  18. ↑ Zhu, Yanlei; She, Xiaoping (2018). "Evaluation of the plant-growth-promoting abilities of endophytic bacteria from the psammophyte Ammodendron bifolium". Canadian Journal of Microbiology. 64 (4). Canadian Science Publishing: 253–264. doi:10.1139/cjm-2017-0529. hdl: 1807/82585 . ISSN   0008-4166. PMID   29370531.
  19. 1 2 Souza-Alonso, Pablo; Lechuga-Lago, Yaiza; Guisande-Collazo, Alejandra; González, Luís (2022-03-05). "Evidence of functional and structural changes in the microbial community beneath a succulent invasive plant in coastal dunes". Journal of Plant Ecology. 15 (6). Oxford University Press (OUP): 1154–1167. doi: 10.1093/jpe/rtac026 . ISSN   1752-993X.
  20. ↑ "Minqin Garden of Desert Plants". tools.bgci.org. Retrieved 2022-05-08.
  21. ↑ Lemauviel, Servane; Gallet, Sébastien; Rozé, Françoise (2003). "Sustainable management of fixed dunes: example of a pilot site in Brittany (France)". Comptes Rendus Biologies. 326. Elsevier BV: 183–191. doi:10.1016/s1631-0691(03)00056-8. ISSN   1631-0691. PMID   14558468.
  22. ↑ Marshall, John (1968). "Factors Limiting the Survival of Corynephorus canescens (L.) Beauv. in Great Britain at the Northern Edge of Its Distribution". Oikos. 19 (2): 206–216. Bibcode:1968Oikos..19..206M. doi:10.2307/3565008. JSTOR   3565008.
  23. ↑ "Plantago indica L. — The Plant List". www.theplantlist.org. Retrieved 2020-04-17.
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