Plant of the Day: Asteraceae (Compositae) in the Paramo

This Asteraceae is found in the highlands of Costa Rica around 3000m (or about 9000 feet). In tropical countries like Costa Rica, the ecosystem at this elevation is known as ‘paramo’. Paramo is characterized by dense shrubby plants with leaves and flowers adapted to endure extreme conditions. Temperatures can be relatively warm during the day, but they can drop precipitously within hours and fall below freezing at night. Although it rains often in the paramo, whenever the tropical sun shines at these altitudes desiccation is a real danger. Many creatures of the paramo exhibit adaptations that allow them to endure these extreme fluctuations on a daily basis.

I took this photo near Cerro de la Muerte, one of the highest peaks of Costa Rica. Unfortunately, I have not yet found a genus or species name for this flower, but I posted it anyway because it exhibits some of the very interesting adaptations that typify the paramo.

The plant grows very low to the ground, which keeps it out of the wind and helps conserve heat and water. Another adaptation for conserving water is the presence of succulent leaves.

For me, the most interesting adaptation shown here is the structure of the flower. The petals of this plant are reflective. In the photo they look whitish, but are in fact silvery. These reflective petals produce ‘hot spots’ in the center of the flower that are thought to provide a unique reward for insect pollinators. The plant produces no nectar, but instead offers a mini-sauna where the insect gets to warm up while it gathers pollen.

For a similar story about a related plant, there is an article on insect pollination and heliotropism in the paramo available on JStor at www.jstor.org/pss/2989741

If you’d like to know more interesting facts about the paramo and see some of the plants that inhabit it, check out the website of the Missouri Botanical Garden at http://www.mobot.org/MOBOT/research/paramo/welcome_english.shtml

Welcome to the blog ‘Expeditions: exploring environment and politics for the new millennium.’
The purpose of this blog is simple. It’s a place to express ideas. As a biologist by training and a writer at heart, I am most interested in issues connected to the environment, the natural world, and the political, economic and social forces that shape our present and determine our future. If you share an interest in these issues, I invite you to read what I have to say, and I would very much like to hear about your own experiences and insights.

This blog of mine will probably seem a bit scattered, with topics running the gamut from the natural history of some obscure tropical spider to informal time-to-get-on-my-virtual-soapbox moments when political events fire me up. I can’t guarantee a whole lot of answers, but I certainly intend to raise a lot of questions.

This is the first time I’ve put together a blog, so I’m going to ask for your patience as I figure things out. I believe I’ve set this up to allow readers to make comments on my posts, but the mechanics may not work the way I expect them to, at least not during these first few months.

Thanks for taking the time to visit this site, and please come back soon as more posts will follow shortly.

Photo: Lookout on the oak forest trail near Cuerici Biological Station, Costa Rica.