Psammophile
A psammophile (/ˈ(p)sæmoʊfaɪl/ (P)SAM-oh-fyle)[1] is a plant or animal that prefers or thrives in sandy areas. Plant psammophiles are also known as psammophytes. They thrive in places such as the Arabian Peninsula and the Sahara[2] and also the dunes of coastal regions.
Because of the unique ecological selective pressures of sand, often times animals on opposite sides of the planet can convergently evolve similar features, a phenomenon sometimes referred to as ecomorphological convergence.[3] The Crotalus cerastes native to American deserts and the Bitis peringueyi native to Namibian deserts have independently evolved sidewinding behavior to traverse across sand.[4] In addition, the African jerboa and the American kangaroo rat have separately evolved a bipedal form with large hind legs that allow them to hop.
Etymology
[edit]Psammo is from Ancient Greek ψάμμος (psámmos, “sand”); -philo is from Ancient Greek φίλος (phílos, “dear, beloved”) via Latin -phila.[5]
Popular culture
[edit]With the correct spelling of the word psammophile, Florida eighth-grader Dev Shah, one of 231 contestants, won the 95th Scripps National Spelling Bee in June 2023 and was awarded $50,000 in prize money.[6]
References
[edit]- ^ "Definition of PSAMMOPHILE". www.merriam-webster.com. Retrieved 2023-07-12.
- ^ Mo'atsah (1992). Israel Journal of Zoology. p. 182.
- ^ Fet, Victor; Polis, Gary A.; Sissom, W. David (1998-08-01). "Life in sandy deserts: the scorpion model". Journal of Arid Environments. 39 (4): 609–622. doi:10.1006/jare.1997.0386. ISSN 0140-1963.
- ^ Elbein, Asher (2021-02-01). "The Skin-Deep Physics of Sidewinder Snakes". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2023-08-31.
- ^ Information from Wiktionary
- ^ "Chthonic, psammophile: The best spelling bee words to add to your vocab". Washington Post. 2023-06-02. Retrieved 2023-07-28.
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