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Perché i cactus richiedono molta meno acqua delle altre piante?

Risposte
04/14/2022
Krefetz

Because they live here:

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Welcome to the Sonoran Desert, home of the iconic saguaro cactus. While cacti are not exclusive to this desert, it’s a perfect example of what cacti consider prime real estate. It gets something around 300 sunny days a year, with average summer high temperatures in the triple digits.

This desert gets as little as 3 inches of rain a year.[1]That’s not a lot.

Cacti require less water because they can’t afford to need more. They’re thrifty out of necessity.

That’s the “why” of it. The “how” includes several strategies, such as pleated ribs that expand to store water, waxy skin to keep moisture in, opening their pores at night to keep water from evaporating during the hot day, and broad, shallow root systems to collect as much rainwater as possible.[2] Marlie Graves wrote a great answer explaining in a more science-y way.

Footnotes

[1] Sonoran Desert Climate[2] How Cacti Survive: Surprising Strategies Quench Thirst
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