Page 34 - Photosynthesis: The Green Miracle

Adnan Oktar

Leaves That Are Unaffected by the Desert Heat
The word “desert” brings to mind an environment in which no liv-
ing thing can easily survive. Indeed, the number of species able to survive

in deserts is very small. Despite these difficult conditions, however, we
still encounter unimaginable miracles in the desert environment. When
we examine this arid environment more closely, plants with various at-
tributes draw our attention. With their special designs, these different va-
rieties of plants easily manage to survive in these harsh conditions. Each
one is a miracle, specially created for these harsh climatic conditions.
To overcome extreme heat and aridity, desert plants resort to two
methods. The first is to employ the resistant water-retentive structure they
possess, and the second is to go dormant. Arid climates do not harm these

plants, thanks to their fascinating structures and special designs. Their
leaves act as stems and as organs for photosynthesis, as well as for food
and water storage, and also, with their thickened structures, as a defen-
sive structure. 10
Some leaves, such as those of the so-called “living stones,” are ex-
perts in camouflage and imitate the rocks around which they grow.
11
Animals’ use of camouflage is a miracle one often frequents. Yet the use
of camouflage by plants is less familiar. If you consider the kind of fea-
tures that a plant able to imitate the rocks around it must possess, you can
better comprehend the astounding nature of this phenomenon. First of all,
this plant needs to have a perfect adaptation to a desert environment and
the conditions it presents. It needs to plan a specific shape and system of
defense in order to save itself from herbivores around it and at the same
time, withstand the extreme heat. It must then “decide” that rocks consti-
tute the best model for it to imitate. It must assume that if it can make it-
self resemble the rocks, it can easily go unnoticed, and must alter its en-

tire physical structure in the light of this.
Clearly plants, with no intellect, consciousness or eyes, cannot take
and implement such vitally important decisions for themselves. That be-

32