Mesophytes

• what are most land plants growing in temperate regions classed as?

  mesophytes
• what do mesophytes have in terms of water?

  an adequate water supply and, although they lose a lot of water, its readily replaced by uptake from the soil so they don't require any means of conserving it
• what happens if a mesophyte plant loses too much water?

  • if such a plant loses too much water, it wilts and the leaves droop
  • the stomata close and leaf surface area available for absorbing light is reduced so photosynthesis becomes less efficient
• what are most crop plants?

  mesophytes
• how are crop plants (mesophytes) adapted to grow best in well-drained soils and moderately dry air?

  • water uptake during the night replaces the water lost during the day
  • excessive water loss is prevented because stomata generally close at night, when its dark
• how do mesophytes survive unfavourable times of the year (when the ground is frozen and liquid water isn't available)?

  • many shed their leaves before winter, so that they don't lose water by transpiration, when liquid water may be scarce
  • the aerial parts of many non-woody plants die-off in winter so they aren’t exposed to frost or cold winds, but their underground organs, such as bulbs and corms, survive
  • most annual mesophytes (plants that flower, produce seed and die in the same year) over-winter as dormant seeds, with such a low metabolic rate that almost no water is required