Adaptive features - Plant Anatomy:An Applied Approach

Adaptive features

Introduction

The relationship between plant structure and the environment in which the plant grows was a subject that fascinated the early plant anatomists, and continues to be of great interest today not only to those working in anatomy and histology, but also to physiologists, ecologists, plant breeders, bio-chemists and molecular biologists.

Before considering the apparent adaptations to habitat, it is worth re-membering that there are basic mechanical considerations and special ad-aptations that influence the form of leaves and stems. Added to this, family characteristics are also frequently expressed in their members, unless they are positively disadvantageous and might have little to do with habitat preference.