How does a cactus live in the desert?
Being in the desert, which is very hot, you can see why plants might have problems. But, over many, many, years, they have adapted and now they can survive under even the harshest conditions. There is little vegetation in deserts, so the animals eat what they can. Because of this the plants also need some protection against hungry animals. Plants that have adapted by changing how they look are called xerophytes. Xerophytes, such as cacti, usually have special means of storing and conserving water. They often have few or no leaves, which reduces transpiration. CACTI are the most well know Xerophytes. They have very few leaves, can store large amounts of water, and have waxy skin to conceal moisture. Also they have spines for protections against animals, to shade it from the sun and also collect moisture. Shallow roots allow large quantities of water to be collected when it rains. Because they store water in the core of stems and roots, cacti are well-suited to dry climates and can survi
