What is the purpose of epiphytes plants?
Answers
Answer:
Explanation:
Epiphytes establish aerial roots that absorb moisture from the humid air, allowing them to develop on other plants without harming their hosts.
Explanation:
Epiphytes are well adapted to suit their requirements. There is a shortage of water and nutrients at the canopy of the forest, to overcome these, epiphytes are well adapted to capture the nutrients and water present in the air, from the debris of trees and rain.
Purpose of epiphytes help them grow in the area where the ground is populated by many plants:
•Epiphytes generally grow in the densely populated rainforests, where there is too much competition to get light, water, nutrients, etc.
•Their epiphytic habit helps them to get light and get benefited from the air rich in moisture
•Epiphytes are found in both tropical and temperate regions.
•Ball moss is present in the coastal desert of Mexico. It gets moisture from fog.
•Epiphytes have aerial roots to anchor the plant to the surface they grow.
•In some of the epiphytic plants, roots are specialised to perform other functions too, e.g. some of the Orchids have photosynthetic roots and in some plants, roots absorb moisture too.
•In a parasitic epiphyte, mistletoe, roots are modified to penetrate the host plant and absorb water.
•In Strangler fig, an epiphyte, roots become too long and reach the ground anchoring the plant in the soil. They eventually kill the host tree by growing around it and crushing its secondary phloem. They compete with the host tree for light and other resources.
•Orchids can conserve water in their thick stems.
•Certain epiphytes have leaves modified as furrow or pitcher to collect rainwater.
•Seeds of epiphytes have wings, parachute or gliding apparatus and sticky coats for easy dispersal.
•They make fleshy and edible fruits, seeds get dispersed by animals and birds.
•Some epiphytes are very selective in their choice of host plant such as Tortula pagorum, present on the bark of trees, only within the city limits.
•Epiphytes contribute to a rich ecosystem. They not only grow on trees, but plants like mosses grow on rocks and moist areas of houses, etc.
[Any 6 Points]