Conifers are adapted to tolerate extreme environmental conditions because of

Solution & Explanation

Answer: (C) Thick cuticle. Solution: Conifers face extremes of temperature, humidity and wind, and survive by minimising water loss. Their needle-like leaves reduce surface area while a thick cuticle and sunken (not superficial) stomata cut transpiration; hence the adaptive feature is the thick cuticle. Broad hardy leaves and superficial stomata are wrong as conifers have needle-like leaves and sunken stomata, and gymnosperms (the conifer group) lack vessels in their xylem (vessels are a typical angiosperm feature). NCERT Reference: Class XI Biology, Plant Kingdom, p.32, lines 40-42 — "In conifers, the needle-like leaves reduce the surface area. Their thick cuticle and sunken stomata also help to reduce water loss."