Marconis
Aquarium Advice Addict
We recently had two lectures on plants in my biology course, and the topic of rhizomes came up very briefly. As I was studying, I stopped to wonder, "Why will some plants slowly die if you bury their rhizome?" Obviously, different plants have different rhizomes. Many ferns, as we know, have above ground rhizomes. What makes them so different than those that grow underground?
Well, I emailed my professor. He barely didn't really answer my question and told me that underground rhizomes tend to specialize more in plant propagation, whereas the above ground rhizomes tend to serve as a base point for fronds to grow off of. This makes sense, but it still doesn't answer my question. He told me to come in and look at botany books; when I arrived, he actually seemed irritated (I guess he was busy) when I posed the question about the biological differences between the rhizomes, he didn't really seem like he wanted to talk about it. In the end, he pretty much said, "That's just the way it works."
This answer for me, is not sufficient. I have done countless variations of google searches, and continually find "Just don't bury the rhizome" without any explanation as to why, biologically, the plant will die if you do so. It is frustrating me that I cannot find such information, especially when there must be an answer out there. If the above ground rhizome merely serves as a horizontal stem for leaf/frond growth, why would this function be inhibited underneath the substrate? The leafs are still getting light, and can still grow, so what in the rhizome stops this when buried? Are there respiratory surfaces on a rhizome that I am unaware of, and if so, why are they absent in an underground rhizome? Is there an adaptive value to having an above ground vs below ground rhizome?
If anyone has any information on this, please, share it! Also, if the answer is simple, slap me in the face with it! I just need to know. Thanks!
Well, I emailed my professor. He barely didn't really answer my question and told me that underground rhizomes tend to specialize more in plant propagation, whereas the above ground rhizomes tend to serve as a base point for fronds to grow off of. This makes sense, but it still doesn't answer my question. He told me to come in and look at botany books; when I arrived, he actually seemed irritated (I guess he was busy) when I posed the question about the biological differences between the rhizomes, he didn't really seem like he wanted to talk about it. In the end, he pretty much said, "That's just the way it works."
This answer for me, is not sufficient. I have done countless variations of google searches, and continually find "Just don't bury the rhizome" without any explanation as to why, biologically, the plant will die if you do so. It is frustrating me that I cannot find such information, especially when there must be an answer out there. If the above ground rhizome merely serves as a horizontal stem for leaf/frond growth, why would this function be inhibited underneath the substrate? The leafs are still getting light, and can still grow, so what in the rhizome stops this when buried? Are there respiratory surfaces on a rhizome that I am unaware of, and if so, why are they absent in an underground rhizome? Is there an adaptive value to having an above ground vs below ground rhizome?
If anyone has any information on this, please, share it! Also, if the answer is simple, slap me in the face with it! I just need to know. Thanks!