Animals and plants have features (adaptations) that allow them to survive in the conditions in which they normally live. Describe how animals and plants are adapted to survive in dry conditions such as deserts. For each adaptation that you give, describ

Species that live in desert habitats, where water is scarce, have adaptations to conserve water and cope with the sandy terrain. A good example is the cactus which has thin spines intead of leaves, this reduces the surface area to volume ratio so that less water is lost via evaporation. They also have a thick stem to store water and an expansive root netwrok to maximise water uptake. These adaptations help the cactus outcompete other plants making it more likely to survive and succesfully reproduce. Another exampls is the camel, they have wide, flat feet to stop them from sinking into the sand, thin nostrils and two sets of eyelashes to keep the sand out. This makes the camel more mobile in the desert terrain so it is better suited to finding food and escaping predators, hence more likely to survive.