Activity › Discussion › Environment › Cactus. › Reply To: Cactus.
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Cacti are some plants that have fleshy stems, blocks, and the branches contain scales and thorns and have no leafy structure or branch. The pad of cactus is changed stalks. They have a certain slimy waxy coating. The pointed thorns are transformed leaves that break up the breezes that are found blowing over pad surfaces. Additional to that they help in shading the stalk. The physical structure of the roots is usually distinguished by broad and shallow bodies, The rainwater is also covered up soon.
The process of photosynthesis:
Every plant that is available on the earth does photosynthesis. Photosynthesis is the process of accumulating carbon dioxide within holes that are found in their leaves, further known as “stomata” and using sunlight and water to transform it into sugar and oxygen, so that the plants get energy for their activities. Cactus use CAM photosynthesis. This is a bit different. In this CAM photosynthesis, the stomata open only during the nighttime. It can also be said that the stomata open only when it faces a cooler surrounding. This is done to avoid loss of moisture through transpiration.
But other than water, sunlight is also an essential component of photosynthesis. Hence, during the daytime, the sunlight is scorching everywhere. That is the ideal time for pre-storing the sunlight in the leaves. Yes, stomata remain closed but to acquire sunlight there is no need for open stomata. The closed ones do the job quite similarly too.
It is also true that the cactus might look dangerous and self-protective. However, they are not at all immune to many predators, including rodents, bears, and some humans. They are a beautiful part of our ecosystem. So they should be taken care of, and protected too. There are already harsh and cruel people on the planet. And therefore let’s take some responsibility to save them.