Solution: (a) Adaptations of desert plants and animals

Desert plants:

The blazing heat and shortage of water are two of the most severe conditions found in deserts. Desert plants have adapted to this by having a large root system that allows them to tap into subsurface water. To reduce transpiration, these plants have recessed stomata on leaf surfaces and thick cuticles. Opuntia is a plant with leaves that are totally converted into spines, with the green stems performing photosynthesis. These desert plants have unique pathways to create food known as the CAM or C4 pathway, which allows the stomata to stay closed during the day to reduce water loss caused by transpiration.
Desert animals:

Lizards, kangaroo rats, and snakes are examples of desert animals that have adapted to their environment. The Kangaroo rat of the Arizona deserts, for example, never consumes water and has the ability to concentrate its urine to conserve water. Snakes and Desert lizards have evolved by lounging in the sun early in the morning and burrowing under the sand in the afternoons to avoid water loss and avoid the heat of the day.

(b) Adaptations of plants to water scarcity

The blazing heat and shortage of water are two of the most severe conditions found in deserts. Desert plants have adapted to this by having a large root system that allows them to tap into subsurface water. To reduce transpiration, these plants have recessed stomata on leaf surfaces and thick cuticles. Opuntia is a plant with leaves that are totally converted into spines, with the green stems performing photosynthesis. These desert plants have unique pathways to create food known as the CAM or C4 pathway, which allows the stomata to stay closed during the day to reduce water loss caused by transpiration.

(c) Behavioral adaptations in animals

Temperature-sensitive organisms go through adaptations such as aestivation, hibernation, and migration to escape environmental pressure and adapt to their natural habitat. Behavioral adaptations are changes in a person’s or an entity’s behavior. Ectothermic and a few endothermal creatures, for example, have these adaptations.

The temperature of some cold-blooded creatures, such as amphibians, fish, and reptiles, varies with their surroundings, as seen in the Desert lizard, which lounges in the sun in the morning and burrows under the sand when the temperature rises in the afternoon. Some warm-blooded species or endotherms, such as mammals and birds, hibernate in the winter and aestivate in the summer to avoid the extremes of temperature. To protect themselves from severe temperature swings, they seek refuge in burrows, caves, and other underground structures.

(d) Importance of light to plants

Sunlight is the ultimate source of energy for plants. Plants are known as autotrophic organisms. Photosynthesis is impossible without light. Light has an important part in the photoperiodic response that occurs in plants. To meet their photoperiodic requirements for the flowering process, these plants adapt to fluctuations in light intensity throughout the year. In addition, light has an important impact on the vertical dispersion of plants in aquatic ecosystems.

(e) Effect of temperature or water scarcity and the adaptations of animals

Temperature, which changes from place to location, is one of the most important ecological elements. The distribution of animals on the earth is influenced by temperature changes. Eurythermal creatures can handle a wide range of temperatures, but stenothermal species can only withstand a small range of temperatures. Adaptations are made by animals to suit their environmental surroundings. Animals in cooler climates, for example, have small limbs and ears to help reduce heat loss from the body. Animals that live in colder climates have large fat layers beneath their skin and dense fur coats to keep warm.

Temperature-sensitive organisms go through adaptations such as aestivation, hibernation, and migration to escape environmental pressure and adapt to their natural habitat. Behavioral adaptations are changes in a person’s or an entity’s behavior. Desert lizards, for example, are ectotherms, which implies they lack a temperature regulation system to cope with temperature fluctuations. These creatures bask in the sun in the mornings then burrow under the sand when the temperature rises in the afternoon.

Water scarcity is another element that forces animals to adapt to their natural surroundings in a variety of ways. Lizards, kangaroo rats, and snakes are examples of desert animals that have adapted to their environment. The Kangaroo rat of the Arizona deserts, for example, never consumes water and has the ability to concentrate its urine to conserve water. Snakes and Desert lizards have evolved by lounging in the sun early in the morning and burrowing under the sand in the afternoons to avoid water loss and avoid the heat of the day.