How are cactus adapted to survive in a desert?

A cactus is a plant that grows where the soil is dry and rocky—most usually in the desert. A cactus doesn’t have leaves like other plants do. A cactus has spines or thorns. The plural word for cactus is cacti. Plural means more than one. Almost all cacti are native to deserts and dry regions of South and North America. Due to their attractive morphology, cacti can be found throughout the world today.

Cacti live in a desert environment where rain is rare, and even if it does rain, due to the heat water will simply evaporate. To cope with this Cacti have adapted allowing them to survive in the extreme desert climate.

• Cacti have a widespread root system (made up of fibrous roots) that can allow them to collect water from a large area.
• Root hairs grow on fibrous roots collecting even the smallest droplets of water. After the ground dries the hairs will die meaning the cactus wouldn't have to use extra energy to maintain them.
• Cacti also have spines (the prickly thorn like things) in which replace leaves. These spines minimise the surface area of the cactus reducing water loss.
• The cacti’s stem is also thick and fleshy allowing it to store a lot of water. The stem also has a waxy waterproof kind of coating to help retain more water.