Namib-Naukluft National Park is located in Namibia and is home to some of the oldest desert dunes on Earth. The park’s diverse geological terrain is otherworldly and spans an impressive ~19,000 square miles. The dunes and surrounding areas provide an arid habitat for a plant family called Zygophyllaceae and serve as the focus of my dissertation project: the evolution of leaf succulence. Funding sources such as the museum travel award have allowed me to continue my research, making this my second year returning to the Gobabeb Research Station located within the park.
The aim of this second visit was to address a major question for arid adaptation in plants: “How do different photosynthetic pathways contribute to the evolution and function of leaf succulence across diverse lineages?” Plants with succulent leaves are typically associated with CAM photosynthesis, but some are known to utilize other pathways such as C3 and C4, both of which have been demonstrated within Zygophyllaceae. I therefore performed photosynthesis measurements on a variety of species, including Tetraena stapfii. Many Zygophyllaceae species, like T. stapfii, exhibit thick succulent leaves. Therefore, performing field measurements not only helps characterize the photosynthetic pathway for plants like T. stapfii, but also contributes to understanding whether the evolution of leaf succulence in this family has occurred independently of photosynthetic pathway.
The logistics of bringing photosynthesis equipment (LI-6400XT) into remote desert regions can be challenging. This experience has taught me that building collaborations in the region not only deepens your understanding of the project but can also provide critical resources through local expertise. I was fortunate to build such a collaboration with Dr. Theo Wassenaar from the Namibia University of Science and Technology, who graciously supplied the instrument from Windhoek, and Dr. Karolina Heyduk from the University of Connecticut, known for her expertise in plant physiology. The museum travel fund not only enabled me to maintain previously established collaborations but also paved the way for new ones—crucial in advancing my project.
Bharti Parihar is a graduate student pursuing a Ph.D. through the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, Department of Biology. Parihar is advised by Dr. Douglas Soltis, Distinguished Professor of Biology, and Dr. Pamela Soltis, Curator of Molecular Systematics and Evolutionary Genetics here at the Florida Museum.
The 2025 Spring Student Travel Awards are supported by the FLMNH Department of Natural History using funds from the Louis C. and Jane Gapenski Endowment, B.J. and Eve Wilder Endowment, and the Dr. Madelyn M. Lockhart Endowment. If you would like to help support these funds for future student awards, please go to:
Louis C. and Jane Gapenski Endowment
B.J. and Eve Wilder Endowment
Dr. Madelyn M. Lockhart Endowment