Abstract
Higher plants which can survive flooding have certain ecological and biochemical similarities with diving reptiles, birds, and mammals. The ecological similarities arise from the fact that these wet-land plants and diving animals are all terrestrial organisms which have re-entered the aquatic habitat as a retreat or ecological refuge free from interference by dry-land species. To survive in the wet-land or aquatic habitat species of terrestrial origin have to restrict their metabolic rate in the absence of oxygen and exploit a wide range of metabolic products to aid proton disposal and avoid the dangers of cell toxicity due to the accumulation of an excessive oxygen debt. In some plants metabolic adaptation to anoxia (low oxygen supply) resembles that found in animal parasites. It is a striking example of metabolic co-evolution that the retreat of so many terrestrial species of both plants and animals back to the low-oxygen habitat has been made possible by the exploitation of similar biochemical control mechanisms and pathways.
Article PDF
Similar content being viewed by others
Avoid common mistakes on your manuscript.
References
Takhtajan, A.: Flowering Plants: Origin and Dispersal. Edinburgh: Oliver & Boyd 1969
Hochachka, P.W., Storey, K.B.: Science 187, 613 (1975)
Turner, F.T., Patrick, W.H.: Trans. 9th Int Congr. Soil Sci. 4, 53 (1968)
Luxmore, R.J., Stolzy, L.H.: Agron. J. 64, 725 (1972); Vartapetian, B.B., Nuritdinov, N.: Naturwissenschaften 63, 246 (1976)
Crawford, R.M.M.: J. Exp. Bot. 18, 458 (1967)
Crawford, R.M.M., in: Tree Physiology and Yield Improvement (eds. Cannell, M.G.R., Last, F.T.). London: Academic Press 1976
MacManmon, M., Crawford, R.M.M.: New Phytol. 70, 299 (1971)
Marshall, D.R., Broué, P., Oram, R.N.: J. Hered. 65, 198 (1974)
Marshall, D.R., Broué, P., Pryor, A.J.: Nature New Biol. 244, 16 (1973)
Francis, C.M., Devitt, A.C., Steele, P.: Aust. J. Plant Physiol. 1, 9 (1974)
Brown, A.D.H., Marshall, D.R., Munday, J.: Aust. J. Biol. Sci. 29, 389 (1976)
Bert, P.: Leçons sur la Physiologie comparée de la Respiration. Paris au Museum d'histoire Naturelle (1870)
Hochachka, P.W., et al.: Comp. Biochem. Physiol. 50 B, 17 (1975)
Zwaan, A. de, Wijsman, T.C.M.: ibid. 54B, 313 (1976)
Krebs, H.: Essays Biochem. 8, 1 (1972)
Crawford, R.M.M., Tyler, P.D.: J. Ecol. 57, 385 (1969)
Von Brand, T.: Biochemistry of Parasites. New York: Academic Press 1 1966
Mazelis, M., Vennesland, B.: Plant Physiol. 32, 591 (1957)
Gilmour, D.: The Metabolism of Insects. Edinburgh: Oliver & Boyd 1965
Crawford, R.M.M..: Trans. Bot. Soc. Edinburgh 41, 309 (1972)
Dubinina, I.M.: Fiziol. Rast. 8, 395 (1961)
Garcia-Novo, F., Crawford, R.M.M.: New Phytol. 72, 1031 (1973)
Crawford, R.M.M.: ibid. 79, 511 (1977)
Davies, D.D., Grego, S., Kenworthy, P.: Planta 118, 297 (1974)
Davies, D.D., Nasciemento, K.H., Patil, K.D.: Phytochemistry 13, 2417 (1975)
Chirkova, T.V., Khazova, I.V., Asafurova, T.P.: Fiziol. Rast. 21, 102 (1973)
Sarawek, S., Davies, D.D.: Phytochemistry 15, 479 (1976)
Jones, H.E.: J. Ecol. 59, 167 (1971)
John, C.D., Greenway, H.: Aust. J. Plant Physiol. 3, 325 (1976)
Hook, D.D., Brown, C.L., Wetmore, R.H.: Bot. Gaz. 133, 443 (1972)
Gäde, G., Wilps, H.: J. Comp. Physiol. 104, 78 (1975)
Bryant, C.: The Biology of Respiration. London: Arnold 1971
Zehe, E.: J. Comp. Physiol. 101, 133 (1975)
Hochachka, P.W., Hartline, P.H., Fields, H.H.A.: Science 195, 72 (1977)
Pratt, H.K., Goeschl, J.D.: Am. Rev. Plant Physiol. 20, 541 (1969)
Streeter, J.G., Thompson, J.F.: Plant Physiol. 49, 572 (1972)
Wager, H.G.: J. Exp. Bot. 12, 34 (1961)
Fulton, J.M., Erickson, A.E., Tolbert, N.E.: Agron. J. 56, 610 (1964)
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Crawford, R.M.M. Biochemical and ecological similarities in marsh plants and diving animals. Naturwissenschaften 65, 194–201 (1978). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00450588
Received:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00450588