What key ecological adaptation allows the Mediterranean olive tree (Olea europaea) to endure prolonged summer droughts?
Answer and explanation
Correct answer: C. Small sclerophyllous leaves with thick waxy cuticles
- Step 1: Olive trees are quintessential sclerophyllous Mediterranean evergreens adapted to survive severe seasonal arid periods. Their small, leathery leaves possess dense waxy cuticles and sunken stomata on the underside to minimize transpirational moisture loss. Answer: Small sclerophyllous leaves with thick waxy cuticles. Why not the others: "Broad succulent water stems" is an adaptation characteristic of desert cacti and euphorbias rather than olive trees; "Deciduous winter leaf shedding" describes cold-climate deciduous trees; olives are persistent evergreens throughout the year; "Aerial roots absorbing vapor" characterizes epiphytic tropical rainforest plants such as orchids, not Mediterranean trees.
Practise more Environmental Science, Ecology and Mediterranean Geography.
Free questions with an explanation for every one, and full timed State Certificate of Language Proficiency (KPG) English mock tests.
More Environmental Science, Ecology and Mediterranean Geography questions
- According to marine biology research, what primary function do Posidonia oceanica seagrass meadows fulfill in Mediterranean coastal ecology?
- What critical environmental vulnerability threatens endemic flora on isolated Mediterranean islands such as Crete?
- In atmospheric science, what thermodynamic mechanism explains the formation of the summer Etesian (Meltemi) winds across the Aegean?
- What is the principal biological threat posed by alien Lessepsian migrant species entering the eastern Mediterranean?
- Why is the phenomenon of aquifer salinization particularly acute in coastal agricultural zones across southern Greece?
- In renewable energy research, what technical limitation currently constrains offshore wind farm development in the Aegean Sea?