AP BIOLOGY

Detailed explanation-1: -Close-Up on Cacti: Cactuses are extremely hardy plants. Over millions of years, they’ve evolved to be able to survive in the extreme conditions of a desert landscape. They can survive with very little water for an extremely long time, by storing moisture in their roots, leaves and stems.

Detailed explanation-2: -Spines or hairs shade plants and break up drying winds across the leaf/stem surface. The roots of desert plants are also adapted to help them survive. Some plants have shallow, widespread roots to absorb a maximum of rainfall moisture. Others have deep taproots to get water that is deep underground.

Detailed explanation-3: -In the hot desert plant growing have leaves reduced to the spine or in some cases it is completely absent, therefore, the leaves are unavailable for photosynthesis. The stems of these plants are modified to perform the functions of leaves, they become green, thick, and fleshy to perform photosynthesis.

Detailed explanation-4: -Desert plants have developed three main adaptive strategies: succulence, drought tolerance and drought avoidance. Each of these is a different but effective suite of adaptations for prospering under conditions that would kill plants from other regions.