Resurrection plants stay alive because they tolerate the severe dehydration caused by drought. These plants are different from cacti. Cacti do not tolerate severe dehydration; they resist dehydration instead. This is an important difference to keep in mind.
In general, plants survive drought in three ways: avoiding, resisting or tolerating it. Plants that avoid drought have a short life (a few months). In the rainy season, after seed germination new plants grow. In a short time, these new plants flower and produce seeds. Then, the plants die before the dry season starts. Their seeds will stay alive in the soil, waiting for the next rainy season so they can germinate and continue the cycle. Many crops are examples of drought avoiders, such as corn, wheat, and rice.
Plants that resist drought, such as cacti and other succulents have several mechanisms to prevent dehydration. For example, they have structures inside their stems specialized for storing water. Also, their leaves look like spines and can absorb water from fog and dew. This way, drought-resistant plants minimize water loses and stay hydrated in the dry season. However, if the dry season is unusually long, they might not resist and could die.

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