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The cactus is found in the desert - OCR Gateway - GCSE Biology - Question 2 - 2023 - Paper 1

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The cactus is found in the desert. It has very small leaves called spines. Spines Why are spines an advantage to the cactus? A) They slow down the rate of respira... show full transcript

Worked Solution & Example Answer:The cactus is found in the desert - OCR Gateway - GCSE Biology - Question 2 - 2023 - Paper 1

Step 1

A) They slow down the rate of respiration.

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Answer

This is not correct. Spines do not influence the rate of respiration significantly, as respiration is primarily related to the internal processes of the plant and not directly affected by leaf structure.

Step 2

B) They slow down the rate of transpiration.

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Answer

This is the correct answer. Spines reduce the surface area of the cactus, which minimizes water loss through transpiration. This is crucial for survival in arid environments.

Step 3

C) They stop the plant photosynthesising.

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Answer

This statement is incorrect. While spines replace leaves, photosynthesis can still occur in the stem of the cactus, which contains chlorophyll.

Step 4

D) They stop translocation in the cactus.

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Answer

This is incorrect. Spines do not stop translocation processes within the cactus. Translocation involves the movement of nutrients and water through the plant, which continues regardless of the presence of spines.

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