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Abstract Detail



Time to dig: the importance of underground storage organs in plant evolution

Klimesova, Jitka [1].

Belowground plant organs and why we should not keep ignoring them.

Plants are sessile organisms with their parts located in two spaces: aboveground and belowground. The aboveground space for a plant is crucial as it photosynthesizes there, competes for light, flowers and then disperses its seeds. Belowground, a plant searches and obtains water and nutrients. At the same time, belowground is a safe place where the majority of disturbance agents (e.g. fire, grazing) cannot penetrate, and a plant can therefore store photosynthates and a bud bank. The belowground plant organs (e.g. roots, rhizomes) are less studied than aboveground organs (e.g. leaves, stems) in ecology, evolution and development. Here, I provide a conceptual framework designed to study the “hidden half” of plants occurring belowground. Specifically, I discuss the importance of the less known belowground organs, traits, functions and finally questions that we may answer about plant evolution, ecology and development by implementing the proposed framework.


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Related Links:
Clonal Plants Working Group
CLO-PLA - a database of clonal growth in plants


1 - Institute of Botany of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Department of Functional Ecology, Dukelska 135, Trebon, 37901, Czech Republic

Keywords:
belowground traits
storage organs
clonal growth organs
bud bearing organs
plant architecture
roots
rhizomes
bulbs
tubers.

Presentation Type: Colloquium Presentations
Session: CO07, Time to Dig: the importance of underground organs in plant evolution.
Location: Tucson J/Starr Pass
Date: Tuesday, July 30th, 2019
Time: 8:30 AM
Number: CO07001
Abstract ID:342
Candidate for Awards:None


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