a lack of something that a living thing requires prevents the survival of that living thing & a plant is a kind of living thing ->  a lack of something that a plant requires prevents the survival of that plant  a lack of something that a plant requires prevents the survival of that plant & plants require water for survival ->  a lack of water prevents the survival of plants  a lack of water prevents the survival of plants & a desert environment is low in availability of water ->  a lack of water prevents the survival of plants in the desert  a lack of water prevents the survival of plants in the desert & moisture is a form of water -> a lack of moisture prevents the survival of plants in the desert