Question

What are Halophytes?

Answer 1

Hint: Halophyte is a plant that can withstand a high salt concentration in the soil. Salt marshes and mudflats are examples of such environments. Many halophytes are succulents, and they have some structural alterations of xerophytes. A halophyte is a salt-tolerant plant that grows in high-salinity soil or water.

Complete answer:
In saline semi-deserts, mangrove swamps, marshes and sloughs, and seashores, a halophyte is a salt-tolerant plant that grows in high-salinity soil or waterways, coming into touch with saline water by its roots or by salt spray.

Salinity-tolerant plants, such as mangrove swamps, marshes, seashores, and saline semi-deserts, flourish in high-salinity waters. Halophytes account for only 2% of all plant species on the planet.

In general, halophytes use three salt tolerance mechanisms: reduced Na+ influx, compartmentalization, and sodium ion excretion. To safeguard the plant's primary metabolic tissues, pseudo-halophytes catch ions in the roots and reduce their transfer to the plant's shoot sections.

Leaf cells carry sodium and chloride ions into the central vacuole to regulate cytosolic salt levels. When the vacuole has a high salt concentration, it absorbs more water and swells.

The transfer of ions and moisture from the soil to the plant is slowed when salt ions accumulate in larger amounts. This excessive buildup is referred to as osmotic stress, and it results in the creation of reactive oxygen species (ROS), nutritional imbalances, ionic toxicity, and a water shortage.

The amount of dissolved salts present in water is referred to as salinity. In seawater, sodium and chloride are the most abundant ions, with magnesium, calcium, and sulphate ions also present in significant amounts.

Note: Halophytes, on the other hand, have an intriguing technique for dealing with salt stress. Many halophytes produce heteromorphic seeds, which under saltwater circumstances have variable dormancy and germination characteristics. The structural and physiological variations between heteromorphic seeds are linked to this trait.