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    Question ID:   598         Current Version: 1
Question: How do desert plants deal with heat and dryness?
Category: Science > Botany
Keywords: desert plant, heat, dryness, water, transpiration
Type: how
Rating:(0 ratings)    Views: 653    Discussions: 0   In Watch Lists: 1  

 
    Answer:
Because of the habitat in which they live, desert plants have special ways of dealing with heat and dryness. These plants are very different from plants that grow in other (non-desert) areas. Most plants, including desert plants, carry out the process of photosynthesis. Plants absorb carbon dioxide from the air and release oxygen. In order to do this, small pores (called stomata) on a plant's leaves and stems must open. Each time the stomata open, some water is lost. This water-loss process is called transpiration. For most non-desert plants, losing a lot of water through transpiration is not a problem because they can replace the water by sucking up more moisture through their roots. But, desert plants can not afford to lose a lot of water through transpiration - it's much harder for desert plants to replace lost water.

Some transpiration "tricks" to save water:

  • Smaller, fewer pores (stomata)
  • A waxy cover
  • Pores open at night - not during heat of day
  • Small leaves or none at all
  • Hide from the sun - expose as little to the sun as possible
  • Drop their leaves during drought

Other water-saving adaptations of desert plants:

  • Some desert trees and shrubs grow very deep tap roots (some can be 100 feet long!)
  • Many cactuses and shrubs grow very shallow roots that spread out from the plant in all directions. These shallow roots can quickly absorb any rain that falls.
  • Some desert plants have pleats or "folds" that allow them to swell with water after a rainstorm. These pleats or folds allow desert plants to store the much needed water.
  • Hairs and spines on cactuses and other desert plants help to break the wind - this helps to keep the plants from drying out. These hairs and spines also provide shade for the plants. Spines also protect the plants from hungry animals.
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