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Chamaegigas intrepidus DINTER: An Aquatic Poikilohydric Angiosperm that Is Perfectly Adapted to Its Complex and Extreme Environmental Conditions

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Plant Desiccation Tolerance

Part of the book series: Ecological Studies ((ECOLSTUD,volume 215))

Abstract

Chamaegigas intrepidus DINTER is a tiny poikilohydric member of the Scrophulariaceae growing endemically in ephemeral rock pools on granite outcrops in Central Namibia. Environmental conditions are complex and extreme: (1) frequent and rapid desiccation and rehydration during the rainy summer season, (2) complete dehydration during the dry winter season lasting up to 11 months, (3) intensive solar irradiation and high temperatures during the dry season, (4) diurnal oscillations of pH in the pool water between pH 6 and 12, and (5) extreme nutrient deficiencies, especially of nitrogen. Anatomical, biochemical and physiological adaptations to this complex of extreme environmental conditions are discussed.

The extreme environmental conditions with the very short period for physiological activity imply specific adaptations for generative reproduction. In this context, flower morphology and its importance for interactions with potential pollinators and the implications for gene flow for this endemic species from ephemeral and highly isolated habitats are discussed.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    Plants and cultures of C. plantagineum used in European laboratories for ecophysiological and molecular studies originate from a plant brought from this site to Germany by Prof. Dr. O.H. Volk.

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported by Schimper-Stiftung (H.H.) and DFG-SFB 251 (W.H.). A. and W. Wartinger and B. Dierich excellently assisted in the field work and performed laboratory experiments. We thank D. Morsbach (Ministry of Wildlife, Conservation and Tourism) and Dr. B. Strohbach (National Botanical Research Institute, Windhoek) for their support. We are indebted to Mrs. Arnold and Mrs. and Mr. Gaerdes for their great hospitality on Otjua farm. E. Brinckmann was a great help in any respect. We appreciate the great interest of Prof. Dr. O.L. Lange in all aspects of this study.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Interdisziplinäres Ökologisches Zentrum, TU Bergakademie Freiberg, Leipziger Str. 29, 09599, Freiberg, Germany

    Hermann Heilmeier

  2. Julius-von-Sachs-Institut für Biowissenschaften, Lehrstuhl Botanik I, Universität Würzburg, Julius-von-Sachs-Platz 2, 97082, Würzburg, Germany

    Wolfram Hartung

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  1. Hermann Heilmeier
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Correspondence to Hermann Heilmeier .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Inst. Botanik, TU Darmstadt, Schnittspahnstr. 3-5, Darmstadt, 64287, Germany

    Ulrich Lüttge

  2. Inst. Pflanzenphysiologie, Univ. Bayreuth, Bayreuth, 95440, Germany

    Erwin Beck

  3. Inst. Molekulare Physiologie und, Biotechnologie der Pflanzen (IMBIO), Universität Bonn, Kirschallee 1, Bonn, 53115, Germany

    Dorothea Bartels

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Heilmeier, H., Hartung, W. (2011). Chamaegigas intrepidus DINTER: An Aquatic Poikilohydric Angiosperm that Is Perfectly Adapted to Its Complex and Extreme Environmental Conditions. In: Lüttge, U., Beck, E., Bartels, D. (eds) Plant Desiccation Tolerance. Ecological Studies, vol 215. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-19106-0_12

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