Adaptations

Question 1

Name adaptations of a water plant that help it float and explain why.

Answer 1

It has tiny hairs on the upper leaf surface which traps air to keep the water lettuce afloat and to repel water.
Its spongy and swollen leaf stalk which traps air and the waxy leaves help to repel water to enable the plant to float.

Question 2

Explain how the adaptations of having a reduced leaf surface and hair like leaves help plant Q, which lives in a dessert.

Answer 2

The reduced leaf surface area minimizes water loss as water vapour through transpiration. The hair like leaves trap air to reduce the rate of water loss through evaporation

Question 3

Advantages of a long deep root system and an extensive shallow root system.

Answer 3

1. Absorbs more water deep in the ground.
2. Absorbs large volume of water quickly when it rains