Parolin Pia
Max-Planck-Institute for Evolutionary Biology, Tropical Ecology, PO Box 165, D-24302 Plön, Germany.
Ann Bot. 2009 Jan;103(2):359-76. doi: 10.1093/aob/mcn216. Epub 2008 Nov 10.
In Amazonian floodplain forests, >1000 tree species grow in an environment subject to extended annual submergence which can last up to 9 months each year. Water depth can reach 10 m, fully submerging young and also adult trees, most of which reproduce during the flood season. Complete submergence occurs regularly at the seedling or sapling stage for many species that colonize low-lying positions in the flooding gradient. Here hypoxic conditions prevail close to the water surface in moving water, while anaerobic conditions are common in stagnant pools. Light intensities in the floodwater are very low.
Despite a lack of both oxygen and light imposed by submergence for several months, most leafed seedlings survive. Furthermore, underwater growth has also been observed in several species in the field and under experimental conditions. The present article assesses how these remarkable plants react to submergence and discusses physiological mechanisms and anatomical adaptations that may explain their success.
在亚马逊河漫滩森林中，1000多种树木生长在每年会经历长达9个月的长期淹没的环境中。水深可达10米，能完全淹没幼树和成年树木，其中大多数树木在洪水季节繁殖。许多在洪水梯度中处于低洼位置的物种，在幼苗或幼树阶段经常会遭遇完全淹没的情况。在流动的水中，靠近水面处普遍存在缺氧条件，而在静止的水塘中则常见厌氧条件。洪水中的光照强度非常低。
尽管淹没数月导致氧气和光照缺乏，但大多数有叶幼苗仍能存活。此外，在野外和实验条件下，还观察到几种物种能在水下生长。本文评估了这些非凡的植物如何应对淹没，并讨论了可能解释它们成功的生理机制和解剖学适应特征。
