Everything about Mesophyte totally explained
Mesophytes are terrestrial
plants which are adapted to neither a particularly dry nor particularly wet environment. An example of a mesophytic habitat would be a rural temperate meadow, which might contain
Goldenrod,
Clover,
Oxeye Daisy, and
Rosa multiflora.
Properties
Mesophytes generally require a more or less continuous water supply, and have only basic features for
water conservation, such as a
cuticle and
stomata. They usually have larger, thinner leaves compared to
xerophytes, sometimes with a greater number of stomata on the undersides of leaves. Because of their lack of particular
xeromorphic adaptations, when they're 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's enough water in the soil to allow this, they can increase their rate of
transpiration by opening their stomata, thus meaning some
heat is removed by the evaporating water. In dry weather they may suffer from water stress (losing more water via transpiration than can be gained from the soil). Again they've no specific adaptations to overcome this, and can only respond by closing their stomata to prevent further dehydration. Their cells are thus likely to lose turgidity. This may cause the plants cells to become plasmolysed, prompting
wilting. 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 lead to permanent wilting, cell
plasmolysis, and subsequent
death.
Further Information
Get more info on 'Mesophyte'.
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