Water is essential for life. List any three features that enable plants and animals to survive in water scarce environment
Plants and animals living in water scarce or desert conditions adopt a three-pronged strategy to adjust with the extreme scarcity of water prevalent in the habitat. These include:
a. Storage of water – Desert plants store water in their roots and stems and are hence called succulents. Desert animals store metabolic water in the fatty deposits of their body.
b. Conserve water – Desert animals excrete dry faeces and have fewer breaths per minute to reduce the loss of water. They are often nocturnal- coming out only during the night so as to escape the intense heat of the daytime. Xerophytes or desert plants often possess green stems to manufacture food and modified leaves in the form of spines or scales so as to reduce transpiration. Leaves, when present, possess sunken or hairy stomata, and often curl up during the day to prevent loss of water.
c. Increase tolerance to scarcity of water – Many desert plants and animals can tolerate huge loses of water and its extreme scarcity and still survive.
Plants and animals living in water scarce or desert conditions adopt a three-pronged strategy to adjust with the extreme scarcity of water prevalent in the habitat. These include:
a. Storage of water – Desert plants store water in their roots and stems and are hence called succulents. Desert animals store metabolic water in the fatty deposits of their body.
b. Conserve water – Desert animals excrete dry faeces and have fewer breaths per minute to reduce the loss of water. They are often nocturnal- coming out only during the night so as to escape the intense heat of the daytime. Xerophytes or desert plants often possess green stems to manufacture food and modified leaves in the form of spines or scales so as to reduce transpiration. Leaves, when present, possess sunken or hairy stomata, and often curl up during the day to prevent loss of water.
c. Increase tolerance to scarcity of water – Many desert plants and animals can tolerate huge loses of water and its extreme scarcity and still survive.
