Name: Plant Adaptations in Desert
Uploaded: 2019-07-19
Duration: 4 min 39 s
Description: Do you know that cacti recruit ants as bodyguards? Cacti can store a huge amount of water! They have spines instead of leaves! They adapt well to the hot des...

Question

Explain how desert plants and animals are able to survive in a hot dry climate.

Accepted Answer

Adaptation in plants:

Desert plants such as cactus lose very little water through transpiration as the leaves are reduced to spines that help in little loss of water.

The stem is thick and is fleshy that helps in storing more water and they have long roots that go very deep into the soil to absorb water.

Photosynthesis in cactus plants is usually carried out by the stems as they lack leaves and the stem is also covered with a thick waxy layer, which helps to retain water.

Adaptation in Animals:

Camels have long legs that help to keep their bodies away from the heat of the sand and have broad feet that help to walk on the sand.

Camels drink a large quantity of water and can stay without water for the longer duration and also stores fat in the hump that acts as a food reservoir.

Camels excrete small amounts of urine, their dung is dry and they do not sweat.

Camels have thick eyelashes to protect the eyes from sand and have nostrils that can be closed to keep out sand.

Other desert animals like rats and snakes, which do not have long legs will also survive in the desert through adaptations.

To stay away from the intense heat (from sunlight) during the day, they stay in burrows deep in the sand. These animals come out only during the night when it is cooler.

Explain how desert plants and animals are able to survive in a hot dry climate.

Important Questions on The Living Organisms and their Surroundings

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