Living Together – Conditions

Observe the relative amounts of water that flow through the different types of soil. This can be used to make an inference of the amount of water each type of soil can hold.

While most plants do not grow well in waterlogged soil, rice needs to grow in flooded conditions to protect them from extreme temperature changes. The wet conditions also prevent weeds from growing with the rice plants and competing with them for space and minerals.

To cope with the dry conditions of the desert, cacti have leaves that are reduced to spines, reducing their surface area for water to be lost through the stomata.

Camels are adapted to survive in dry conditions. They can withstand high temperatures without sweating and their blood is capable of storing large amounts of water when water is available. They also have behaviours such as feeding on cacti which have high water content.