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    "segs": [ {
      "utf8": "If you were a jackrabbit hopping \nthrough the desert,"
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  }, {
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    "dDurationMs": 3295,
    "segs": [ {
      "utf8": "you’d be glad to stumble— \nwell, maybe not stumble—"
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  }, {
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    "dDurationMs": 4671,
    "segs": [ {
      "utf8": "across a cactus: the succulent flesh \nof these plants is a water source"
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  }, {
    "tStartMs": 17893,
    "dDurationMs": 1835,
    "segs": [ {
      "utf8": "for many desert animals."
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    "dDurationMs": 4254,
    "segs": [ {
      "utf8": "Native to the Americas and known \nfor their spines and succulent stems,"
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  }, {
    "tStartMs": 24107,
    "dDurationMs": 5464,
    "segs": [ {
      "utf8": "cacti of all shapes and sizes have evolved\nto not just survive, but thrive,"
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  }, {
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    "dDurationMs": 3420,
    "segs": [ {
      "utf8": "in some of the harshest desert climates \non Earth."
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  }, {
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    "dDurationMs": 1376,
    "segs": [ {
      "utf8": "So how do they do it?"
    } ]
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    "segs": [ {
      "utf8": "A cactus’s spines are one\nkey to its survival—"
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  }, {
    "tStartMs": 38747,
    "dDurationMs": 2127,
    "segs": [ {
      "utf8": "but not for the reason you might think."
    } ]
  }, {
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    "dDurationMs": 2086,
    "segs": [ {
      "utf8": "Take a look at the prickly pear."
    } ]
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    "dDurationMs": 3086,
    "segs": [ {
      "utf8": "Its spines are highly modified leaves."
    } ]
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    "dDurationMs": 4296,
    "segs": [ {
      "utf8": "A normal leaf’s large surface area would\nbe ill-suited to the desert,"
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  }, {
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    "dDurationMs": 3795,
    "segs": [ {
      "utf8": "transpiring massive amounts \nof water under the baking sun."
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    "dDurationMs": 4838,
    "segs": [ {
      "utf8": "The dramatically reduced surface area\nof the spines limits water loss."
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    "segs": [ {
      "utf8": "They also shade the cactus \nand reflect the sun’s rays,"
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    "dDurationMs": 3670,
    "segs": [ {
      "utf8": "reducing the plant's core temperature\nduring the heat of the day."
    } ]
  }, {
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    "segs": [ {
      "utf8": "Then, at night, \nwhen air temperatures plummet,"
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    "segs": [ {
      "utf8": "the spines act as an insulating layer,"
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    "segs": [ {
      "utf8": "keeping the cactus from cooling \ndown too much."
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    "segs": [ {
      "utf8": "These functions are just as important,\nif not more,"
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    "dDurationMs": 2127,
    "segs": [ {
      "utf8": "than defending against predators."
    } ]
  }, {
    "tStartMs": 81498,
    "dDurationMs": 4463,
    "segs": [ {
      "utf8": "From Cuba to Mexico, and as far south \nas Brazil and Peru,"
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    "dDurationMs": 5756,
    "segs": [ {
      "utf8": "Melon cacti grow on limestone soils \nin seasonally dry tropical forests,"
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    "dDurationMs": 2836,
    "segs": [ {
      "utf8": "where they're constantly exposed\nto the beating sun."
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    "segs": [ {
      "utf8": "They rely on another adaptation\ncommon to cacti: a thick skin,"
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    "dDurationMs": 5130,
    "segs": [ {
      "utf8": "which is coated in a waxy substance\ncalled a cuticle that limits water loss."
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    "segs": [ {
      "utf8": "Meanwhile, the stomata—"
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    "tStartMs": 106815,
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    "segs": [ {
      "utf8": "tiny holes that allow the exchange\nof gases that enable photosynthesis—"
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  }, {
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    "segs": [ {
      "utf8": "remain firmly closed \nuntil night when they open."
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    "segs": [ {
      "utf8": "The lower temperatures at night \nmean the cactus loses less water"
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    "segs": [ {
      "utf8": "from the stem when the stomata open."
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  }, {
    "tStartMs": 122039,
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    "segs": [ {
      "utf8": "The bulk of the plant acts \nas a large barrel of water,"
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    "segs": [ {
      "utf8": "storing it for times of need."
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    "segs": [ {
      "utf8": "But to survive the desert, \na cactus can’t just limit water loss—"
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  }, {
    "tStartMs": 131506,
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    "segs": [ {
      "utf8": "it has to be prepared \nto take full advantage"
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  }, {
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    "segs": [ {
      "utf8": "of the rare situations where water\nis readily available."
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    "segs": [ {
      "utf8": "In North America’s Sonoran Desert,"
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    "segs": [ {
      "utf8": "the towering Saguaro cactus can grow\nup to 20 meters tall"
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    "segs": [ {
      "utf8": "and live for up to 200 years."
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    "segs": [ {
      "utf8": "Woody tissue, like the kind found \nin tree trunks,"
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      "utf8": "give the Saguaro its height,"
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      "utf8": "but the Saguaro survives \nwith way less water than most trees."
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      "utf8": "Most of its roots are only \na few inches deep."
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      "utf8": "Just below the soil’s surface, \nthey spread out laterally for meters"
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      "utf8": "and hold the plant in place."
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      "utf8": "Even its single deepest root,\nthe taproot,"
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    "segs": [ {
      "utf8": "extends less than one meter \ninto the ground."
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      "utf8": "After a rain, the lateral roots\nrespond in real time,"
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      "utf8": "They produce ephemeral rain roots \nthat quickly take up the available water."
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      "utf8": "The water is then pulled\nup into the plant body"
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    "segs": [ {
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    "segs": [ {
      "utf8": "and stops them from evaporating \nif the plant’s tissue"
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    "segs": [ {
      "utf8": "is ever damaged and exposed."
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      "utf8": "As the soil dries after the rain,"
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    "segs": [ {
      "utf8": "the small rain roots also start to dry \nand wither away,"
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    "segs": [ {
      "utf8": "and the cactus awaits the next time\nit can take advantage of a shower."
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    "segs": [ {
      "utf8": "Taken together, these features make cacti\nwell-equipped to survive"
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    "segs": [ {
      "utf8": "their environments,"
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    "segs": [ {
      "utf8": "from the driest desert\nto... a tropical rainforest?"
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    "segs": [ {
      "utf8": "The mistletoe cactus can live on the\nbranches of trees in the rainforest."
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    "segs": [ {
      "utf8": "Though there’s lots of water around,\nnot much of it reaches the cactus here,"
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    "segs": [ {
      "utf8": "and there's nowhere for its roots to go."
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