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Cute Young Blonde Girl With Tan Lines Posing With A Blue Scarf On The Beach Grasses At The Sea
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Adaptations
Like other Xerophytes, Marram Grass is well adapted to its surroundings in order to thrive in an otherwise harsh environment. The natural loss of water through transpiration is not desirable in a very dry landscape, and Marram grass has developed particular adaptations to help it deal with this. Sandy conditions drain water quickly, and very windy conditions will further increase rates of transpiration.
Marram Grass has a rolled leaf, which differs from many Cacti that have spines instead. This creates a localized environment of water vapour potential within the leaf, and helps to prevent losses of this precious water. The stomata sit in small pits within the curls of the structure, which make them less likely to open and to lose water. The folded leaves have hairs on the inside to slow or stop air movement, much like many other Xerophytes (though these are typically found on the outside of the plant, but in Marram grass they are also within the leaf as this has now become a structure with more volume). This slowing of air movement once again reduces the amount of water vapour being lost. A waxy Plant cuticle on the leaf surface also prevents evaporation from the leaf surface.
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