In the canyonlands of Utah and Arizona, canyon walls often support "hanging gardens" in which plants cling to sandstone cliffs and these hanging gardens are typically along shale beds in the sandstone. Why is this happening in a desert setting?
◦ The shales hold the water better than the sandstone, so plants preferentially grow in them.
◦ The shales form better soils than the sand, so the plants grow there.
◦ The shales are more fractured than the sandstones so the plants have an easier time starting in the shale.
◦ The shales trap groundwater along the shale horizons that helps aid plant growth.
Parasitic plants.
Plants
Plants
Plants
Herbivores exploit plants
Carnivorous plants of the genus Nepenthes grow in nitrogen-poor soil