Plant organisation - Edexcel Adaptations of plants to extreme environments

Desert plants

Cacti are well adapted for survival in the desert. They have:

• Stems that can store water.
• Widespread or very deep root systems that can collect water from a large area or from very deep underground.
• Spines which are modified leaves. These minimise the surface area and so reduce water loss. The spines also protect the cacti from animals that might eat them.
• Very thick, waxy cuticle to reduce water loss by evaporation.
• Reduced number ofstomata to reduce water loss by transpiration.