Tag: extreme adaptations

• Water storage in stem and tubers is an adaptation of plants to thrive in harsh environments with high temperatures and scarce water. Such plants called xerophytes usually develop succulent stems that can store water.
• They have a very extensive root system to absorb the maximum amount of water from the soil.
• Other adaptations include thick waxy cuticle, reduced leaf size, densely packed leaves, reduced number of stomata in pitted and grooved positions.

Vegetation of geographic region with low rainfall, high temperature, loose and sandy soil is of the type called xerophytic vegetation. It consists of spiny shrub, cactus. Caatinga is a type of xerophytic vegetation.

A xerophyte is the species of plants, that has the special characters to adapt in the environment with little water. Xerophytes plant have a thick waxy cuticle on the stem and leaves. This waxy cuticle reduces the water evaporation. In xerophytic plants, sunken stomata are present. which open during the night to prevent the water loss. To adapt in this environment, xerophytic plants leaves reduces into spines, which reduces the surface area of the leaf and reduces the amount of transpiration. The xerophytic plant makes their food through the CAM pathway.

Lithops (stone-faced as the plants appear stone-like)  is a genus of succulent plants in the ice plant family, Aizoaceae. They avoid being eaten by blending in with surrounding rocks and are often known as pebble plants or living stones. These are small succulent plants that survive in their harsh environment by having much of the plant body below ground. Each individual plant consists of two succulent leaves fused together in the shape of an inverted cone (although some species will produce multi-headed plants). The fissure at the top of the plant is the division between the two leaves and is spine-like.