New Fire-Resilient Plant Species Found in India’s Western Ghats
A new plant species, Dicliptera polymorpha, notable for its resilience to fire and dual blooming pattern, has been identified in the Northern Western Ghats by scientists from the Agharkar Research Institute (ARI), Pune. This rare find contributes to the biodiversity records of one of India’s major ecological hotspots. Unlike typical plants, Dicliptera polymorpha showcases an unusual adaptation, flowering twice a year, with one phase triggered by grassland fires. This unique characteristic makes it one of the few known Indian species with such adaptive flowering.
Unique Fire Response and Growth Characteristics
As per the official release from Department of Science & Technology, Dicliptera polymorpha, collected in Talegaon-Dabhade’s grasslands by ARI botanists, demonstrates a remarkable response to grassland fires that periodically sweep the region. A research team led by Dr. Mandar Datar, with botanist Adittya Dharap and Ph.D. student Bhushan Shigwan, observed that while the plant’s primary flowering occurs post-monsoon, a second, shorter flowering phase is prompted by fire exposure, with dwarf shoots emerging from woody rootstocks. The plant’s adaptation is seen as an evolved survival trait in response to the region’s harsh climatic conditions and human-ignited fires.
Validation and Conservation Implications
The distinctive inflorescence of Dicliptera polymorpha was confirmed as a new species by Dr. I. Darbyshire from the Kew Botanic Garden, London. Published recently in Kew Bulletin, the study highlights the species’ potential for conservation interest due to its limited habitat and specialised blooming cycle. Conservation efforts are recommended to manage human-induced fires sustainably to protect the delicate grassland ecosystems that support species like Dicliptera polymorpha, emphasising the ecological importance of the Western Ghats and the need for targeted management to prevent habitat degradation.
In light of this discovery, the researchers stress the urgency of conserving the Western Ghats’ unique biodiversity, which remains a source of undiscovered species with adaptive traits.
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Water ice coats many outer solar system bodies – from Jupiter’s icy moon Ganymede (above) to interstellar dust. On Earth, ice freezes into a neat crystal lattice, but in the deep cold of space it was assumed to form a completely amorphous (glassy) solid. A new study by University College London and Cambridge scientists challenges this picture. Their computer simulations and X-ray tests on cosmic “low-density” ice suggest it actually contains tiny crystalline grains. In some models roughly 20–25% of the ice was in crystal form, overturning the long-held view that space ice is entirely structureless.
Simulations reveal hidden nanocrystals
According to the paper, computer simulations of space ice showed it contains nanocrystals. In one approach, researchers cooled virtual water to –120 °C at different rates to form model “ice cubes.” Depending on the cooling speed, the simulated ice ranged from fully amorphous to partly ordered. Structures with roughly 16–19% of the molecules in tiny crystal clusters best matched published X-ray data for low-density ice. In another simulation, thousands of nanometer-sized ice grains were packed together and then the remaining water molecules were randomized. This produced ice about 25% crystalline, yet still reproduced the known diffraction pattern.
In laboratory experiments the team also made actual low-density amorphous ice by vapor deposition and gentle compression. When these samples were slowly warmed to crystallize, the resulting ice showed a “memory” of its formation method.
Implications for planets and origins of life
The findings give “a good idea of what the most common form of ice in the Universe looks like at an atomic level,” which is important for models of planet and galaxy formation. They also bear on theories of life’s origins. Partly crystalline ice has less internal space to trap organic molecules, potentially making it a less efficient vehicle for amino acids or other prebiotic compounds. However, Dr. Davies notes that pockets of fully amorphous ice still exist, so cosmic dust grains and cometary ices could continue to harbor organic ingredients in those disordered regions.
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space ice, amorphous ice, crystalline ice, UCL, University of Cambridge, nanocrystals, planetary science, origins of life, X-ray diffraction, space research, Physical Review B
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