The functional enrichment analysis results show that the biological processes that were significantly downregulated are mainly those involved in photosynthesis (Fig. 6). This expression pattern was confirmed by western blotting of selected proteins in Ingle et al. (2007).  This is not surprising given that poikilochlorophyllous plants such as the Xerophyta species are poikilochlorophyllous and thus they lose their chlorophyll and dismantle their thylakoid membranes during drying and then re-synthesize them following rehydration (Sherwin and Farrant, 1996; Sherwin and Farrant, 1998). This strategy helps in achieving significant minimization of photo-oxidative damage and reducing energy costs associated with maintaining the chloroplast structure during desiccation stress (Sherwin and Farrant, 1998; Oliver et al., 2000).