Question

Which of the following statements is/are incorrect about xerophytes?
I. Xerophytes are adapted to survive in hot deserts where there is very little water.
II. Xerophytes can be found in the snow covered Alps and the icy Arctic.
III. Xerophytes are common in coastal areas and thrive in saline water.

Answer 1

• Statement I- correct- Xerophytes survive in hot deserts as their leaves are reduced to spines (water is not lost through transpiration) and water is stored in fleshy leaves and stem.
• Statement II- correct- Xerophytes can survive in ice-covered regions, during which their metabolic activity is ceased.
• Statement III- incorrect- Xerophytes are not adapted to live in the saline environment as survival in such conditions requires adaptation like maintaining high hypotonic concentration in the roots which filter the salt which enters from the environment. This kind of adaptation is better seen in halophytes.