Climate change is nothing new. The species on earth have experienced the “Climate change since the beginning of life on Earth more than 3 billion years ago has posed the “cope, adapt, or die” dilemma.
Some species already survive in harsh environments (a subject I covered in my previous blog post) at the earth’s freezing poles during the winter, at the summit of tropical mountain peaks that receive tens of meters of rainfall annually, and deep within the dry deserts that make up a third of the planet’s land area.
In particular, when the creatures are unable to climb to a cooler elevation or slither into a deeper riverine pool to avoid a heat wave, the plants and animals that can survive these harsh conditions may be able to tell us something about adapting to climate change.
Plants typically live their entire lives anchored to one location on the soil. They must therefore be capable of withstanding whatever the weather may be like 365 days out of the year.
The prickly cholla cactus is one example of a plant from a scorching desert that has developed a wide variety of outstanding coping mechanisms to survive in North America’s hottest, driest climate, where an entire year’s worth of rainfall can fall in a single extreme event.
Our understanding of the biological and physical adaptations that allow for survival on a hotter, drier world that is prone to extreme events is greatly aided by these desert dwellers (as climate change experts are currently forecasting).
The world’s oldest tree, a Great Basin bristlecone pine (Pinus longaeva) that is between 5,062 and 5,063 years old, as well as fascinating secrets to longevity can be found in desert plants “Creosote bush (Larrea tridentata) King Clone is the oldest known clonal colony and is thought to be 11,700 years old.
The ancient creosote clone is particularly fascinating from the standpoint of climate change and adaptation because the environment in which it first emerged (at the end of the last ice age) was different from the one in which it now exists.
Well, plants defend themselves against extreme heat by developing smaller leaves (cactus spikes), using water-saving photosynthesis techniques (like Crassulacean acid metabolism), developing sun-blocking hairs, or developing thin leaves that can easily cool in a breeze or waxy leaves that stop water loss.
They can also do this by generating exceptionally long, quick-growing roots that can swiftly access groundwater or short roots that extend when it rains.
Cacti have flexible features that enable the expansion of their stems and the storage of additional water for usage when it is not raining. Last but not least, plants have developed the capacity to postpone germination and growth in order to coincide with periods of water availability and comfortable temperatures. This prevents the exposure of vulnerable young seedlings to the worst conditions.
These adaptations are excellent, but why should I care? you might be asking.
In addition to their natural beauty and sustenance of other desert species, plants bring practical advantages to mankind. In order to solve human issues, scientists and engineers have started to emulate the tactics used by animals and plants in nature.
As we work to adapt to a hotter, drier planet, desert plants may be especially useful resources. If we preserve their natural environments, we’ll have the best opportunity of understanding what they have to teach us.
How Are Cactus Adapted To Survive In A Desert?
Cacti have unique adaptations in their stems, leaves, and roots that allow them to survive in desert conditions. Among these modifications are:
- In order to minimize water loss through transpiration, leaves are reduced to spines.
- Wide and deep roots can collect surface rains and access deep subsurface water.
- To prevent water loss, stomata are recessed.
- Stems with a waxy coating help to retain water and are fleshy and thick to store water and carry out photosynthesis.
How can a cactus stay comfortable?
With modifications that conserve water and enhance heat radiation, cacti may survive in extremely dry and hot settings.
With a variety of morphological and physiological traits that conserve water and shield them from excessive heat, cacti are remarkable and peculiar plants that can adapt to extremely arid and hot settings. These modifications enable the plant to efficiently collect water, store it for a long time, and conserve it (minimizing water loss from evaporation). Their spines increase their surface area, allowing them to dissipate heat and impede the passage of precipitation. Many cacti have cooling ribs as a result of the solution nature provided to the heat issue. Their ribs help heat radiation and offer protection from the hot sun on the cactus’ surface. As a result of their surface being significantly decreased to prevent evaporation, they have a low capacity for heat reflection.
Building envelope innovation and design that maintains a cool environment For instance, Bangkok-based Aesthetics Architects created the Minister of Municipal Affairs & Agriculture (MMAA) office building in Qatar with adaptations for the country’s hot, dry environment.
How much heat can cacti stand?
Temperature. Cacti prefer heated temperatures between 70 and 95 degrees when they are in their active growth phase in the spring and summer. They like colder temperatures, down to 55 degrees, throughout the winter when they are dormant. Some cactus can endure subfreezing temperatures.
What three adaptations do cacti have?
A cactus may endure in the desert because it has the following characteristics: I It has lengthy roots that bury themselves deeply in the ground to capture water. (ii) In order to reduce water loss through transpiration, the leaves have spines. (iii) To hold onto water, the stem of the plant is wrapped in a thick waxy covering.
Without water, how does a cactus survive in the desert?
It does not, however, totally survive without water. Every living thing needs water, yet cacti are specifically built to thrive in dry environments and make better use of the water they do receive than other plants. It doesn’t lose its water through evaporation as quickly as other plants do since it lacks leaves. Its stems are robust, offering plenty of space for storing water and a lid that keeps the water within. Some cactus species may survive without water for two years. Depending on the species, the indoor types do need to be watered more frequently.
How can plants endure the heat?
On the hottest bright days, you can relocate containers into a tree or porch’s shade. Water, however, is the primary protection that plants have against extreme temperatures. They stay cool by letting the water on their leaves evaporate. Water evaporates more quickly as the temperature rises, making the plant as a whole thirstier.
How do desert plants endure the high temperatures and arid climate?
The desert is really warm. It’s also horribly dry. Succulent plants that store a lot of water in their roots, stems, or leaves, like cactus, aloes, and agaves, can withstand the dry heat.
How? First off, succulents quickly absorb a lot of water when it does rain. Water evaporates quickly in the desert, never penetrating the soil deeply. As a result, the majority of succulents have deep but shallow root systems. Just a half inch or so below the surface, their roots begin to absorb water.
Numerous adaptations have been made by succulents to hold onto this water. They frequently have a heavy waxy coating, which aids in keeping moisture in.
Stomates, which are extremely small pores on all plants, allow them to absorb gases for photosynthesis. But water can also escape through these pores. Less water can evaporate through stomates per cubic inch in succulents. Succulents also have a smaller leaf surface area and, if any leaves exist at all, they are thick and meaty.
Additionally, many succulent plants have changed photosynthetic processes. During the day, other plants open their stomates to absorb carbon dioxide for photosynthesis. To take in carbon dioxide, which they store until the next day, many succulents, on the other hand, retain their stomates closed during the heat of the day and open them in the cool of the night.
Finally, due to the scarcity of water in the desert, succulents must defend themselves from hungry animals. In certain circumstances, these plants are poisonous, thrive in inhospitable places, or are camouflaged to protect their water supplies. In other cases, they are spiky like many cactus.
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What cactus can withstand intense heat?
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In the sweltering summer heat of southwest Texas’s Chihuahuan Desert, air temperatures can fluctuate around 97F (36C), while temperatures at the soil’s surface can rise above 158F. (70C). When confronted with extremely high temperatures, plants must develop innovative strategies to not only endure but also flourish in these challenging and sometimes fatal circumstances. The cactus Ariocarpus fissuratus, a dweller of the desert, adapts to the impacts of high temperatures, according to new research.
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In the sweltering summer heat of southwest Texas’s Chihuahuan Desert, air temperatures can fluctuate around 97F (36C), while temperatures at the soil’s surface can rise above 158F. (70C). When confronted with extremely high temperatures, plants must develop innovative strategies to not only endure but also flourish in these challenging and sometimes fatal circumstances.
In the December issue of the American Journal of Botany, a new study by Dr. Gretchen North and colleagues provides insight into how one desert dweller, the cactus Ariocarpus fissuratus, manages the impacts of high temperatures.
The surface of desert soils is one of the planet’s hottest ecosystems, and little desert plants like the “living rock” cactus live there. This is a critical issue, according to North.
The moniker “living rock” was given to Ariocarpus fissuratus because of how well it integrates into its rocky environment and has a modest stature that is level with the soil’s surface. The researchers proposed that by burying more of itself beneath the soil surface, where it is cooler, the cactus may “escape” hot temperatures.
North and coworkers discovered that the cactus travels deeper into the soil by contracting its roots after measuring variations in plant depth and root architecture. But can root contraction modulate temperatures to provide protection?
To discover out, the researchers grew plants on a rooftop in Los Angeles where the air temperature was above 99F for many days, simulating summer desert conditions. Although half of the cactus had rocks covering the earth’s surface, like in their natural habitats, the other half were all planted in sandy soil. The internal stem temperature of plants cultivated in rocky soils was roughly 7F lower than that of plants grown solely in sandy soils. Despite the fact that this reduction might seem insignificant, it had a big impact on the plants’ wellbeing.
Cacti cultivated in rocky soil withstood the severe heat, as opposed to plants in sandy soil, which all perished. Only in conjunction with the cooling effects of the stony surface did root contraction help to lower the temperature inside the stem. On the other hand, cactus planted deeper into sandy soil had slightly lower stem temperatures than those planted closer to the earth’s surface.
In a July heat wave in Los Angeles, experimental plants reached temperatures that were almost fatal, according to North. Therefore, should desert temperatures rise significantly owing to global warming, root contraction and rocky microhabitats might not be able to protect sufficiently.
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The American Journal of Botany contributed the materials. There may be length and style edits to the content.