Ecological Facets of Varied Plant Life Forms and their Therapeutic Relevance

Life forms depict the sum of adaptive features attributed to the ecological relationships of species. Adaptation plays a crucial role in the natural selection of an organism and sustains an organism's survival in its habitat. These are evolutionary changes inherited by plants for their survival in nature and to cope with competition and stresses in the environment. Varied plant life forms exist in nature and are classified by Eugen Warming considering their corresponding traits and the associated response to the environment viz. hydrophytes, helophytes, oxylophytes, psychrophytes, halophytes, lithophytes, psammophytes, chersophytes, eremophytes, psilophytes, sclerophyllous, coniferous and mesophytes. These adaptive life forms bring about structural and physiological changes and evolve for the successful survival of organisms in nature. Secondary metabolites, fungal endophytes and phytohormones play a vital role in the adaptation process by providing them a defensive shield against stressors. When explored therapeutically, these adapted plants containing secondary metabolites contributed to preventing and treating a wide array of diseases and disorders and seem promising sources of drug discovery.