Drying without dying.

Abstract

This introductory chapter summarizes some of the current answers to questions (how do plants survive desiccation? and how does surviving desiccation affect plant survival?) and lead into the more detailed reviews of questions and answers about desiccation and plant survival in the chapters that follow. It begins with some terms and techniques that provide concepts and methods for research on desiccation tolerance in plants, and a brief summary of the surprisingly lively history of research on desiccation tolerance. An overview is provided of the range and ecology of desiccation tolerance in plants, subjects that bear on how surviving desiccation affects plant survival. Lastly, the mechanisms of desiccation tolerance in plants are discussed, with keys to understanding how plants survive desiccation, and consider the potential for breeding crops that can dry without dying.

Response of the Leaf Cell Wall to Desiccation in the Resurrection Plant Myrothamnus flabellifolius

“…It is more common among lower plants, such as mosses and ferns, whereas it is rarely observed in angiosperm families (Alpert and Oliver, 2002). Plants that display desiccation tolerance are commonly called resurrection plants (Oliver, 1996), so named because of their ability to lose most of their cellular water (down to ,5% relative water content [RWC]), cease metabolic function, and exist in a quiescent, desiccated state for extended periods and then rehydrate their vegetative tissue and resume metabolism (Gaff, 1977).…”

“…Mechanisms proposed to explain the ability of resurrection plants to survive desiccation include Suc and trehalose accumulation (Bianchi et al, 1993;Drennan et al, 1993), accumulation of stress proteins (Goyal et al, 2005;Mtwisha et al, 2006), as well as the presence of polyphenols, in particular galloylquinic acids, which have been shown to act as antioxidants and membrane protectants (Moore et al, 2005). These mechanisms have evolved to counteract stresses imposed during desiccation and subsequent rehydration (Alpert and Oliver, 2002). The most visible result of desiccation is a considerable reduction in tissue and cell volume that occurs due to water loss (Farrant, 2000).…”

Key plant products and common mechanisms utilized by plants in water deficit stress responses

“…LEAs have multiple tasks ranging from maturity in seeds to protection of membrane structure, stabilizing enzymes and promoting ion sequestration in vegetative organs (Close 1997, Garay-Arroyo et al 2000, Fang & Xiong 2015. Another class of proteins known as molecular chaperones (or originally known as HSP: Heat Shock proteins) has been reported under abiotic stress conditions such as drought (Alamillo et al 1995, Alpert & Oliver 2002. Much evidence confirms that HSPs act in protein refolding, stabilizing proteins and membranes under stress conditions (Wang et al 2004).…”

Putting Physcomitrella Patens on the Tree of Life: The Evolution and Ecology of Mosses

“…The ability to tolerate severe dehydration, while not tolerating desiccation, appears to be common in mesic bryophytes. Interestingly, for the few mesic species that have been investigated, equilibration to water potentials of −100 MPa and lower (which would constitute true desiccation tolerance) can be achieved by the application of exogenous abscisic acid (ABA) (Alpert and Oliver, 2002;Oliver, 2007). For example, protonemal cultures of the mesic moss Funaria hygrometrica can survive dehydration to approximately −70 MPa if water loss is slow but cannot survive if water loss is rapid (Werner et al, 1991).…”