how do desert plants survive? (adaptations)

desert plant adaptations:

- reacts rapidly when sufficient rain falls
eg. seeds can germinate, grow up into plants, flower, and repeat the cycle all over again in just 2 weeks. these flowers are called "ephemerals".

- colourful petals
ephemerals have colourful petals to attract desert insects.
-some plants are coated in a certain chemical

- the plants are coated in the chemical in order to prevent them from germinating, until the rain washes the chemical away.

- have shallow widespread root systems
desert succulents (eg. cacti) have such a root system to absorb large amounts of rainwater quickly. This can be stored in the stems of the cacti , some of which are ribbed in order to permit expansion.

- spines on stems
the spines on the stems are to prevent desert animals from taking the stored water.

- cacti takes in carbon dioxide at night and stores it in other chemical compounds.
the stomata are open to allow gaseous exchange when the air is coo, resulting in water loss kept to a minimum. the carbon dioxide is then released and used during photosynthesis.

- a certain species of daisies grows in the desert.

Title of book: eyewitness science-Ecology
Author: Steve Pollock

-smaller leaves

-grow compactly to the ground

-non-porous covering on leaves (eg. wax)

hair on the leaves of the desert plants helps to reduce the evaporation of moisture from the surface of the leaves by reflecting sunlight and inhibiting air movement.

-adapted root system

some plants (phreatophytes) have adapted root systems long enough to reach underground water sources.

-some plants (perennials) survive by becoming dormant during dry periods, then springing to life when water becomes available (eg. ocotillo)

-the leaves of certain plants face directly down or up (eg. spines or fur tree)

the leaves are faced this way so that the amount of heat is reduced resulting in less water evaporating.

-some plants only expose a few of their leaves, most of them are underground along with the main body. (eg. living stones)

this is done so that the plant does not loose all it's water to the sun, the trees are also kept cooler.