Cacti and dandelions have adapted thick stems and deep taproots respectively to store water for long periods of time in arid environments. Lianas climb trees to reach sunlight, while epiphytes grow on trees to take advantage of sunlight and canopy cover. Desert plants like cacti and xerophytes have adapted through physical traits like thick cuticles and hidden stomata or behaviors like dropping leaves to reduce water loss. Phreatophytes draw water from deep underground, while some plants like the ocotillo go dormant during dry periods.

1. Plant Survival By Bilal Karsifi

2. Cactus grow
in desert like
areas.

3. Their stems are
very thick so they
can store water
for long periods
of time.

4. Dandelions have a root that
goes very deep into the soil.
This is why it is so difficult to pull
dandelions from the ground.

5. These deep roots are called
taproots.

6. Dandelion have seeds better adapted to be caught by the
wind and transported to another location.

7. Lianas are climbing
… vines that be adapted to live
can all
woody
drape in different environments
rainforest
trees. they have
and help plants survive.
adapted to life in
rainforest by having
their roots in the
ground and
climbing high into
the tree canopy to
reach available
sunlight

9. Epiphytes are plants
that live on the surface
of other plants,
especially the trunk and
branches.
They grow on trees to
take advantage of the
sunlight and canopy

10. Epiphytes: This tree has
Bromeliads and mosses
living on the surface of its
bark

11. The leaves of
Bromeliads form a
vase to hold water.
This Pineapple is an
example of a
bromeliad

12. Another Bromeliad

13. Rhizophora:In deltas
and along ocean edges
and river estuaries,
trees have adapted to
living in wet, marshy
conditions. These trees,
called mangroves, have
wide-spreading stilt
roots that support the
trees in the tidal mud
and trap nutritious
organic matter

14. Desert plants have adapted to
the extremes of heat and aridity
by using both physical and
behavioral mechanisms, much
like desert animals.
Xerophytes, such as cacti,
usually have special means of
storing and conserving water.
They often have few or no
leaves, which reduces
transpiration.

15. Xerophytes adaptations:
1.Tick cuticle.
2.Stomata hidden in crypts or
depressions in leafe surface
(less exposure to wind and
sun).
3.Reduction in size of
transpiration on surface (lower
leafe only)
4.Increased Water storage.
5.Thicker leaves and stems, or
leaves reduced in number, or
leaves drop off during dry
seasons.
6.Leaves covered with silvery
hairs (creates wind break &
light reflective surface)
7.Deep taproots or wide
speading fibrous roots near the
soil surface.

16. Phreatophytes are another group of plants that have
adapted to arid environments. Phreatophytes, like the
mesquite tree, have adapted to desert conditions by
developing extremely long root systems to draw water
from deep underground near the water table.

17. The Creosote Bush is on the most successful of all desert
species because it utilizes a combination of many adaptations.
instead of thorns, it relies for protection on a smell and taste
wildlife find unpleasant. it has tiny leaves that close their
stomata (pores) during the day to avoid water loss and open
them at night to absorb moisture. Creosote has an extensive
double root system -- both radial and deep -- to accumulate
water from both surface and ground water.

18. Some plants, such as the
Ocotillo, survive by becoming
dormant during dry periods,
then springing to life when water
becomes available.
The Ocotillo also has a waxy
coating on stems which
serves to seal in moisture
during periods of dormancy.

19. Desert plants must act quickly
when heat, moisture and light
inform them its time to bloom.
Ephemerals send out flower
stalks in a few days.
Ephemerals such as the desert
sand verbena usually germinate
in the spring following winter
rains. they grow quickly, flower
and produce seeds before dying
and scattering their seeds to the
desert floor.

20. The Desert Paintbrush is
another ephemeral that quickly
blooms and scatters its seeds
when its active

21. Aquatic plants like this fringed
water lily have not needed
adaptations for strengthening
themselves. they are supported
by the water they live in. They
also do not need as many roots
since they live in the water.

22. Defensive Adaptations: Plants
as we know have evolved
ways to defend themselves
by using sharp spines, thorns
or hairs; cellulose that makes
them hard to digest, or
creating toxic chemicals.
Another unusual way some
plants have evolved to defend
themselves is though mimicry
- that is they evolve to look
like another plant that is
poisonous and animals are
fooled into believing that they
are poisonous.

23. Roots
Stems
Leaves
Plant Behaviors

24. … can all be adapted to live
in different environments
and help plants survive.