Why do cactus have thorns?

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The role of thorns

The evolution of thorns

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Cactus spines are of great significance to the cactus itself and are the product of a protective mechanism to adapt to harsh climates. This kind of thorn belongs to the leaves of cactus, which reduces the transpiration area of the plant and can save a lot of water consumption. Cactus spines have many other forms, and they can reflect strong light and reduce water loss.

The role of thorns

The role of spines

Cactus spines may seem meaningless to us, but they are of great significance to the cactus itself. They are the product of a protective mechanism to adapt to harsh climates.

Normally, most of the water absorbed by plants is consumed in transpiration. According to scientists, for every 100 grams of water absorbed by plants, 99 grams are lost due to transpiration, and only 1 gram is preserved in the plant. In the body, the leaves are the main transpiration part, and most water is lost from here. The larger the leaf area, the faster the evaporation.

Therefore, in order to survive the severe drought, try your best to survive the severe drought. It may be that more water is retained in more places. After a long period of evolution, the leaves of the cactus gradually evolved to be more adaptable to the environment, forming the needle-like thorns we see now. This evolution has fundamentally reduced the number of plants. The transpiration surface saves a lot of water consumption and greatly improves the viability of the cactus in areas with serious water shortages. Those very dense thorns we see are actually cactus leaves.

The evolution of thorns

Current stage The thorns of many cacti have changed into other forms, and some have turned into white hairs, which are densely covered on the surface of the plant. They can reflect strong light, lower the body surface temperature, and also greatly reduce the loss of water. It can store a large amount of water in the plant. In addition, the number, shape, arrangement, and color of cactus spines are diverse, which not only has unique ornamental properties, but also becomes an important basis for us to identify cactus species.