Cactus species have evolved to cope with hot dessert habitats by storing large amounts of water and growing spines instead of leaves. This reduces the plants surface area and minimizes the amount of...

It is a multiple choice question, but please give explanation.


Extracted text: Cactus species have evolved to cope with hot dessert habitats by storing large amounts of water and growing spines instead of leaves. This reduces the plants surface area and minimizes the amount of water that is lost through evaporation. 2) The trait of spines on cacti: (1) Appeared in ancestral cacti because they lived in deserts and needed spines to reduce water loss Appeared in cacti because of a chance mutation. a) Only the top statement is correct. b) Only the bottom statement is correct. c) Both statements are correct. d) Neither statement is correct. (I)