Life Strategies of Succulents in Deserts: With Special Reference to the Namib Desert

by Dieter J. von Willert , Benno M. Eller , Marinus J. A. Werger , Enno Brinckmann , Hans-Dieter Ihlenfeldt

• ISBN13: 9780521287098
• ISBN10: 052128709X
• Edition: Revised
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2012-03-29
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Summary

Deserts provide a seemingly hostile environment in which plants can, nevertheless, survive and grow. This book, originally published in 1992, considers the ecological strategies adopted by desert succulents to overcome these problems. Much fresh data on the physiological ecology of succulent plants of southern Africa is presented - the results of more than ten years' work by the authors, both in the field and the laboratory. This information forms the basis for a better understanding of the water relations and carbon balance of succulents during short- and long-term drought and leads the authors to a definition of succulence as a tool for the temporary storage of water, essential for the conservation of physiological performance during times of drought. The authors conclude by providing a basic scheme in which the significant functional aspects of succulent life strategies are given, revealing the main trends in the biology of these fascinating plants.

Table of Contents

Preface

The succulent

Climate and vegetation of deserts

The Namib desert

Physiological implications

Life strategies of succulents

References

Index

Table of Contents provided by Publisher. All Rights Reserved.