Question

Write the characteristics of cryophytes.

Answer 1

Hint Cryophytes are organisms that survive harsh temperature conditions through various modifications. As we can see from the name, the term ‘cryo’ refers to cold and ‘phytes’ refers to plants or organisms.

Complete answer: - Cryophytes are organisms that survive and grow in cold regions on snow and ice. The organisms include plants, green algae, bacteria, diatoms, mosses, fungi, lichen, dinomastigotes, etc.
- These plants grow when the ice melts and complete their life cycle in a small period of time. They are characterized by a short life span and their buds that overwinter above ground.
- Other modifications include small overall size and shallow roots to compensate for the thin layer of soil and to also prevent water loss, fuzzy and woolly stem, leaf, bud, and seed covers.

Additional Information: - Conophytum is a flowering plant that grows when the ice melts due to heat during the short duration of the summer season.
- Some plants have modifications such as cup-shaped flowers that collect sunlight in the center.
- Dark-colored plant parts absorb heat and light.
- Extremophyte is a term given to plants that survive in extreme conditions. Hydrophytes are plants that have adapted to live in an aquatic environment. These plants are floating or submerged in water. Halophytes are plants adapted to live in high salt conditions.

Note: - Cryophytes are also known as cryo vegetation or cryoflora.
- Cryophytes is responsible for many phenomena, such as red snow, caused by the growth of Chlamydomonas nivalis and diatoms, brown snow by desmids (a type of green algae), diatoms, and blue-green algae, green snow by Euglena or Chlamydomonas, and “black” snow by Scotiella nivalis and Raphidonema algae.