Final answer:
Plants in sunny and hot habitats often have spines instead of leaves to minimize water loss and manage high sunlight exposure. Tropical plants in shaded areas have broader leaves to capture limited sunlight. Epiphytes in these regions utilize their position in the canopy and specialized tissues to absorb and retain water.
Step-by-step explanation:
Plants that grow in sunny, hot habitats often have leaves adapted to conserve water and cope with the intense sunlight. Specifically, these plants have spines instead of leaves, which help minimize water loss through transpiration. In contrast, tropical rainforests with scarce light due to densely packed canopy layers see plant species with exceptionally broad leaves to maximize the capture of sunlight.
The tropical epiphytes, such as bromeliads, ferns, and orchids, grow high in the canopy where sunlight is more abundant, using specialized tissues to efficiently capture and store water. Conversely, plants in sunny, hot environments must reduce their surface area to prevent excess water loss, hence they develop spines which are also useful for protection.