NEET BIOLOGY

Detailed explanation-1: -Two key adaptations they have are the ability to survive in waterlogged and anoxic (no oxygen) soil, and the ability to tolerate brackish waters.

Detailed explanation-2: -PLANTS: Plants found in estuaries need to be adapted to salty conditions. Having too much salt can kill many types of plants. Some plants, like pickle weed, can absorb the salt water and store the salt in special compartments, called vacuoles, in the leaves.

Detailed explanation-3: -In almost all estuaries, the salinity of the water changes constantly over the tidal cycle. To survive in these conditions, plants and animals living in estuaries must be able to respond quickly to drastic changes in salinity. Plants and animals that can tolerate only slight changes in salinity are called stenohaline.

Detailed explanation-4: -Crabs: They can burrow fast into the mud against predators, strong waves or tides. Water snails and shrimps: These animals can burrow into the mud when the tide is going out, thus escaping the periodic dilution of its external medium. Worms: They have strong protective and impermeable covering against high salinity.

Detailed explanation-5: -Estuarine fish have adapted to use both mechanisms – in seawater they excrete salts and retain water, and when the water gets fresher, they excrete water and retain salts. This remarkable physiological adaptation allows these species to exploit both marine and freshwater (or semi-freshwater) environments.