A student investigated how the average wind speed in different habitats affected the density of trichomes (leaf hairs) on the lower epidermis of a specific grass species. The results are shown in the table below.
| Average wind speed in habitat (m s−1\text{m s}^{-1}m s−1) | Plant A (mm−2\text{mm}^{-2}mm−2) | Plant B (mm−2\text{mm}^{-2}mm−2) | Plant C (mm−2\text{mm}^{-2}mm−2) | Plant D (mm−2\text{mm}^{-2}mm−2) | Mean trichome density (mm−2\text{mm}^{-2}mm−2) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1.2 | 45 | 52 | 41 | 46 | 46 |
| 3.5 | 78 | 84 | 75 | 83 | 80 |
| 5.8 | 112 | 125 | 118 | 121 | 119 |
| 8.1 | 154 | 168 | 159 | 163 | 161 |
Explain why the mean density of trichomes is higher in habitats with a higher average wind speed.
