The 4 Reasons Why Cacti Have Spines
Did you know that wind causes evaporation? Well, it does. The air is sucking up water, banking it and storing it for future precipitation. When you're a desert plant, rainfall comes few and far between and so the name of the game is to keep as much water as possible. As odd as it sounds, cacti spines actually help cacti from losing water. The main way that cactus spines prevent cacti from losing water is by reducing air flow around the cactus. The spines break up air flow, which can help reduce evaporation. The trapped air around the cactus can also create a buffer zone with more moist air.
