The benefits of cactus spines are similar to the benefits of what?

The benefits of cactus spines are similar to the benefits of the thorns and the leavesof herbaceous plants. The spines act the part of thorns in their defense of the cactus plant's stem, growth buds, and breathing pores. They act the part of leaves in their channeling of any available moisture - be it dew, fog, or rainfall - down to the immediate ground around the cactus. From the ground surface, the drops seep into the soil, to be added to the water table or taken in by the cactus plant's roots.