Structural and functional compromises between efficient gas exchange and limitation of water loss in terrestrial insects and xerophytic plants
Insects and drought-resistant plants both need to let gases in and out for respiration and photosynthesis. Every adaptation that helps gas exchange also risks letting water escape, so each organism uses structures that balance both needs.
Real World
Marram grass growing on sand dunes rolls its leaves inward during drought, trapping humid air around its stomata and cutting water loss — a textbook xerophyte compromise studied by ecologists on Formby Point dunes.
Exam Focus
'Evaluate' questions require you to state both the gas exchange benefit and the water-loss cost of each adaptation — one-sided answers lose marks.
Evaluation Scaffold
A four-step framework for high-quality evaluation. Use this for 'assess', 'evaluate', and 'to what extent' questions.
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