PJB-2025-1540
Ecological resilience modulated by scleromorphy in Capparis decidua (Forssk.) Edgew. populations native to hyper-arid environments
Anum Javaid, Mansoor Hameed and Muhammad Shahbaz
Abstract
Scleromorphy is an adaptive trait, which is crucial to understand survival of bare caper Capparis decidua (Forssk.) Edgew. in hyperarid environments. It is a perennial plant with leafless branches and a deep root system that allows it to attain extreme resistance against drought, frost, and salinity. The plant samples (young shoots) were collected from 10 ecologically different habitats from the Cholistan and Thal deserts to evaluate its morpho-anatomy and physiological traits that are associated with its high resistance to hyperarid environment. The Cholistan populations revealed the tallest plants (401.8 cm) with highest shoot dry weight (0.9 g), while populations from the Thal Desert had the thickest cortical region (171.6 µm) and sclerenchyma layer (72.7 µm) which was helpful for conserving more water by storing additional water in storage parenchyma and by minimizing water loss from the stem surface. Vascular bundle (52538.8 µm2) and metaxylem areas (890.1 µm) were the maximum in the Cholistan populations. Chlorophyll content (1.9 mg g−1) was the highest in Thal populations, while accumulation of organic osmolytes, compatible solutes and antioxidants were the highest in Cholistan populations. It concluded that all population from Thal and Cholistan desert displayed significant variation in its traits that enabled this species to maintain its water status, and hence can withstand hyperarid environmental conditions.
To Cite this article:
Javaid, A., M. Hameed and M. Shahbaz. 2025. Ecological resilience modulated by scleromorphy in Capparis decidua (Forssk.) Edgew. populations native to hyper-arid environments. Pak. J. Bot., 57(5): DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.30848/PJB2025-5(22)
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