The focus of this research project was to determine the response of Pleopeltis to drought and heat stress. P. polypodioides, an epiphyte, is known to survive extended periods of desiccation and recover when water (rain) becomes available. Such mechanism is a characteristic feature of special group of “desiccation tolerant” plants. Not all vascular plants are capable of tolerating water stress. Desiccation tolerance occurs throughout the plant kingdom and is commonplace among lichens, mosses, but is rare among pteridophytes and angiosperms. Most studies have focused on the phylogenetics and evolution of desiccation tolerant plants. However, information on the biochemical and molecular mechanisms of drought tolerance is limited. Pteridophytes are good candidates to study desiccation tolerance because they possess characteristics that are intermediate between primitive and advanced land plants. The goal of the research was to determine the morphological and anatomical, physiological, and molecular adjustments during dehydration and rehydration of Pleopeltis fronds.

The findings aim to characterize the mechanisms of P. polypodioides to desiccation and identify potential genes that are associated with the drought-tolerance. The findings from this study may be useful in engineering dehydration tolerant crop plants in the future.