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Psammophyte
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. Etymology The word "psammophyte" consists of two List of Greek and Latin roots in English/P–Z, Greek roots, ''psamm-'', meaning "sand", and ''-phyte'', meaning "plant". The term "psammophyte" first entered English in the early twentieth century via German botanical terminology. Description Psammophytes are found in many different plant families, so may not share specific morphology (biology), morphological or phytochemistry, phytochemical traits. They also come in a variety of plant life-forms, including ephemeral plant, annual ephemerals, perennials, subshrubs, Raunkiær plant life-form#Hemicryptophytes, hemicryptophytes, and many others. What the many diverse psammophyte ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Psammophile
A psammophile ( ) is a plant or animal that prefers or thrives in sandy areas. Plant psammophiles are also known as psammophytes. They thrive in places such as the Arabian Peninsula and the Sahara and also the dunes of coastal regions. Because of the unique ecological selective pressures of sand, often times animals on opposite sides of the planet can convergently evolve similar features, a phenomenon sometimes referred to as ecomorphological convergence. The '' Crotalus cerastes'' native to American deserts and the '' Bitis peringueyi'' native to Namibian deserts have independently evolved sidewinding behavior to traverse across sand. In addition, the African jerboa and the American kangaroo rat have separately evolved a bipedal form with large hind legs that allow them to hop. Etymology ''Psammo'' is from Ancient Greek ψάμμος (psámmos, “sand”); ''-philo'' is from Ancient Greek φίλος (phílos, “dear, beloved”) via Latin ''-phila''. Popular culture With ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Haloxylon Ammodendron Levél
''Haloxylon'' is a genus of shrubs or small trees, belonging to the plant family Amaranthaceae. ''Haloxylon'' and its species are known by the common name saxaul. "Saksaul" is a common Turkic word that entered Russian through Kazakh. Description The species of genus ''Haloxylon'' are shrubs or small trees (rarely up to ) tall, with a thick trunk and many branches. The branches of the current year are green, from erect to pendant. The leaves are reduced to small scales. The inflorescences are short shoots borne on the stems of the previous year. The flowers are very small, as long or shorter than the bracteoles, bisexual or male. The two stigmas are very short. In fruit, the perianth segments develop spreading wings. The fruit with wings is about in diameter. The seed is about in diameter. Distribution and habitat The genus ''Haloxylon'' is distributed in southwest and Central Asia, from Egypt to Mongolia and China (Xinjiang and Gansu), where it grows in sandy habitats (psam ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Linaria Arenaria
''Linaria arenaria'', sometimes called sand toadflax or French toadflax, is a yellow-flowered member of the genus ''Linaria''. It is found in sand-dunes and sandy grassland in western France, north-west Spain and Portugal and is thus a psammophyte plant . It is found casually in England and reliably at two sites. One is Braunton Burrows in north Devon where it was planted around 1893 and continues to grow, and the other, since 2004, is in north Somerset. Description It is an annual plant and grows to around . The leaves and stem are covered in sticky hairs. The flowers open in June–July. They are in a cluster at the top of the stem and are yellow with a purplish spur. The species was first described by Augustin Pyramus de Candolle Augustin Pyramus (or Pyrame) de Candolle (, , ; 4 February 17789 September 1841) was a Swiss people, Swiss botany, botanist. René Louiche Desfontaines launched de Candolle's botanical career by recommending him at a herbarium. Within a couple ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Haloxylon Ammodendron
'' Haloxylon ammodendron'', variously called the saxaul (), black saxaul, also spelled sacsaoul or saksaul is a plant belonging to the family Amaranthaceae. "Saksaul" is a common Turkic word that entered Russian through Kazakh. Description The saxaul ranges in size from a large shrub to a small tree, , rarely tall. It has a brown trunk up to in diameter. The wood is heavy and coarse and the bark is spongy and water-soaked. The branches of the current year are green; older branches are brown, or gray to white. The leaves are reduced to very small cusp-like scales, so that the plant appears nearly leafless. The inflorescences consist of short lateral shoots borne on stems of the previous year. The flowers are bisexual or male, very small, as long as or shorter than the bracteoles. The flowering period is from March to April. In fruit, the perianth segments develop spreading pale brown or white wings. The diameter of the winged fruit is about . The seed is in diameter. The fru ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Inner Mongolia
Inner Mongolia, officially the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, is an Autonomous regions of China, autonomous region of China. Its border includes two-thirds of the length of China's China–Mongolia border, border with the country of Mongolia. Inner Mongolia also accounts for a small section of China's China–Russia border, border with Russia (Zabaykalsky Krai). Its capital is Hohhot; other major cities include Baotou, Chifeng, Tongliao, and Ordos City, Ordos. The autonomous region was established in 1947, incorporating the areas of the former Republic of China (1912–1949), Republic of China provinces of Suiyuan, Chahar Province, Chahar, Rehe Province, Rehe, Liaobei, and Xing'an Province, Xing'an, along with the northern parts of Gansu and Ningxia. Its area makes it the List of Chinese administrative divisions by area, third largest Chinese administrative subdivision, constituting approximately and 12% of China's total land area. Due to its long span from east to west, Inn ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Agriophyllum Squarrosum
''Agriophyllum'' is a genus of flowering plants of the family Amaranthaceae, native to arid regions of Asia with a few occurrences in Eastern Europe. Reaching at most 1m, they are valuable as fodder and for wind‑blown soil capture. In Kazakhstan, it is known as "kumarshyk". Scientists from the Atyrau Region patented a drink combining kumarshyk with camel's milk that's undergone lactic acid fermentation. In 2021, author Murat Bektenov, who is from the Ryn Desert region, published a book named after the plant. The book outlines how kumarshyk was used for sustenance by Kazakhs during times of war and famine. Like wheat, kumarshyk seeds can be roasted, milled, baked, or even made into porridge. Species Species currently accepted by The Plant List The Plant List was a list of botanical names of species of plants created by the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew and the Missouri Botanical Garden and launched in 2010. It was intended to be a comprehensive record of all known names of p ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Soil Biology
Soil biology is the study of microbial and faunal activity and ecology in soil. Soil life, soil biota, soil fauna, or edaphon is a collective term that encompasses all organisms that spend a significant portion of their life cycle within a soil profile, or at the soil-litter interface. These organisms include earthworms, nematodes, protozoa, fungi, bacteria, different arthropods, as well as some reptiles (such as snakes), and species of burrowing mammals like gophers, moles and prairie dogs. Soil biology plays a vital role in determining many soil characteristics. The decomposition of organic matter by soil organisms has an immense influence on soil fertility, plant growth, soil structure, and carbon storage. As a relatively new science, much remains unknown about soil biology and its effect on soil ecosystems. Overview The soil is home to a large proportion of the world's biodiversity. The links between soil organisms and soil functions are complex. The interconnect ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Restoration Ecology
Ecological restoration, or ecosystem restoration, is the process of assisting the recovery of an ecosystem that has been degraded, damaged, destroyed or transformed. It is distinct from Conservation movement, conservation in that it attempts to retroactively repair already damaged ecosystems rather than take preventative measures. Ecological restoration can help to reverse biodiversity loss, combat climate change, support the provision of ecosystem services and support local economies. The United Nations has named 2021–2030 the Decade on Ecosystem Restoration. Habitat restoration involves the deliberate rehabilitation of a specific area to reestablish a functional ecosystem. This may differ from historical baselines (the ecosystem's original condition at a particular point in time). To achieve successful habitat restoration, it is essential to understand the life cycles and interactions of species, as well as the essential elements such as food, water, nutrients, space, and s ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Climate Change
Present-day climate change includes both global warming—the ongoing increase in Global surface temperature, global average temperature—and its wider effects on Earth's climate system. Climate variability and change, Climate change in a broader sense also includes previous long-term changes to Earth's climate. The current rise in global temperatures is Scientific consensus on climate change, driven by human activities, especially fossil fuel burning since the Industrial Revolution. Fossil fuel use, Deforestation and climate change, deforestation, and some Greenhouse gas emissions from agriculture, agricultural and Environmental impact of concrete, industrial practices release greenhouse gases. These gases greenhouse effect, absorb some of the heat that the Earth Thermal radiation, radiates after it warms from sunlight, warming the lower atmosphere. Carbon dioxide, the primary gas driving global warming, Carbon dioxide in Earth's atmosphere, has increased in concentratio ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Endophyte
An endophyte is an endosymbiont, often a bacterium or fungus, that lives within a plant for at least part of its life cycle without causing apparent disease. Endophytes are ubiquitous and have been found in all species of plants studied to date; however, most of the endophyte/plant relationships are not well understood. Some endophytes may enhance host growth and nutrient acquisition and improve the plant's ability to tolerate abiotic stresses, such as drought, and decrease biotic stresses by enhancing plant resistance to insects, pathogens and herbivores. Although endophytic bacteria and fungi are frequently studied, endophytic archaea are increasingly being considered for their role in plant growth promotion as part of the core microbiome of a plant. History Endophytes were first described by the German botanist Johann Heinrich Friedrich Link in 1809. They were thought to be plant parasitic fungi and they were later termed as "microzymas" by the French scientist Béchamp. The ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Microorganism
A microorganism, or microbe, is an organism of microscopic scale, microscopic size, which may exist in its unicellular organism, single-celled form or as a Colony (biology)#Microbial colonies, colony of cells. The possible existence of unseen microbial life was suspected from antiquity, with an early attestation in Jain literature authored in 6th-century BC India. The scientific study of microorganisms began with their observation under the microscope in the 1670s by Anton van Leeuwenhoek. In the 1850s, Louis Pasteur found that microorganisms caused food spoilage, debunking the theory of spontaneous generation. In the 1880s, Robert Koch discovered that microorganisms caused the diseases tuberculosis, cholera, diphtheria, and anthrax. Microorganisms are extremely diverse, representing most unicellular organisms in all three domains of life: two of the three domains, Archaea and Bacteria, only contain microorganisms. The third domain, Eukaryota, includes all multicellular o ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Brassicaceae
Brassicaceae () or (the older but equally valid) Cruciferae () is a medium-sized and economically important Family (biology), family of flowering plants commonly known as the mustards, the crucifers, or the cabbage family. Most are herbaceous plants, while some are shrubs. The leaves are simple (although are sometimes deeply incised), lack stipules, and appear alternately on stems or in Rosette (botany), rosettes. The inflorescences are terminal and lack bracts. The flowers have four free sepals, four free alternating petals, two shorter free stamens and four longer free stamens. The fruit has seeds in rows, divided by a thin wall (or septum). The family contains 372 genera and 4,060 accepted species. The largest genera are ''Draba'' (440 species), ''Erysimum'' (261 species), ''Lepidium'' (234 species), ''Cardamine'' (233 species), and ''Alyssum'' (207 species). , it was divided into two subfamilies, Brassicoideae and Aethionemoideae. The family contains the cruciferous vegetable ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
