1. The cactus lives in the desert, which is very hot and dry. 2.

In order to prevent excessive loss of water, the cactus has the following special characteristics: (a) small and needle-like leaves to reduce the loss of water. (b) stems that store water. (c) long roots to absorb water deep in the ground.

Cactus has long roots to absorb water deep in the ground.

3. During hot weather, plants tend to lose a lot of water to the surroundings. 4. Plants lose water through the leaves. 5. Therefore, the leaves of some plants are adapted with specific characteristics to reduce the excessive loss of water.

6. Examples: (a) casuarina trees have needle-like leaves. (b) watermelon and pumpkin plants have hairy leaves. (c) yam and pandan plants have waxy leaves which are waterproof. (d) banana and maize plants roll up their leaves during hot weather. (e) rubber trees drop their leaves during dry season.

7. When plants are blown by strong winds, they tend to fall. 8. In order to prevent this from happening, plants have specific characteristics to protect them from strong winds. (a) Has prop roots

Plants that live in dry regions need to have characteristics to help them survive through long periods of time without water.