PlantAdaptationsOBJECTIVE: STUDENTS WILL INVESTIGATE AND EXPLAIN HOW INTERNAL STRUCTURES OF ORGANISMS HAVE ADAPTATIONS THAT ALLOW SPECIFIC FUNCTIONS. (7.12A)

• 10 AMAZING PLANTS

AdaptationsAdaptations determine how a species moves, obtains food and reproduces

Station 1 – Plant AdaptationsWatch this video in order to answer the questions for this station

Station 1 – Plant Adaptations Questions (watch video)

1. What is a vascular plant?

2. What are the two types of “tubes”?

3. What does the xylem do?

4. What is the purpose of the phloem transporting sugar?

5. What limits the size of non-vascular plants?

6. List a cactus adaptation:

7. Why would a plant have big leaves?

8. Where do carnivorous plants tend to live?

Station 1 - Plant Structural Adaptations

Plants have an entire internal structure that helps them gather energy and necessary things for survival.

Station 1 – Xylem/Phloem In Plants

Part of a plant's vascular system that transports water and minerals from the roots to the rest of the plant and furnishes support.

The xylem makes up the major part of a stem or root and the wood of a tree.

Phloem transports the sugar made during photosynthesis.

Station 1 - Xylem In Plants

Plant Transport Systems

Station 1 – Phloem in Plants

Station 2 – Hydro or Xero?

Station 2 Questions – Hydro or Xero?Water Lily compared to the Cactus

1. Think about the environment that a cactus lives in. What are the conditions that it must survive? (hint, look at the pages at the station)

2. Think about the environment that a water lily lives in. What are the conditions that it must survive?

3. How are the structure of their leaves different?

4. How do these challenges affect their ability to gather sunlight to go through photosynthesis? (hint – think about the amount of water in each environment)

Prickly Pear Cactus

Water Lily

Station 2 – Cactus adaptations

Station 2 – Water Lily adaptations

Recall…that a StimulusA stimulus is something that causes a reaction

External stimulus comes from OUTSIDE the organism

Internal stimulus comes from WITHIN the organism

Stimulus explained

Station 3 Questions – Plant Movement1. What is it called when a plant responds to a stimulus?

2. What is it called when plants move towards light?

3. Why do plants move towards light?

4. What is geotropism?

5. Explain what are negative and positive geotropisms.

6. What is hydrotropism?

Watch the video on tropism and read the station pages to find the

answers to these questions above.

Movement: Plant Tropisms

Tropisms are responses to a stimulus

Plants are not able to physically move if the place they are growing becomes less than optimal

For example: A tree is growing near a lake that floods, that tree cannot move, even though its roots may be flooded

However, there are some responses (called tropisms) that plants CAN do

PhototropismPlants have the ability to detect where conditions are better and then they can alter their growth so that they can “move” in the right direction

Phototropism is when plants grow towards the light

Geotropism

Geotropism is the response of a plant to gravity

Roots exhibit “positive” geotropism, while stems and leaves exhibit “negative” geotropism

ThigmotropismThe way a plant grows or bends in response to touch

Thigmotropism video

Hydrotropism

Tropism video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pi3P3uJOsN4

Hydrotropism is when

plants grow toward

water

Station 4 Questions - Plant Survival (the need for light and food)

1. What is the name of the chemical that enables a plant to “move”?

2. Write the chemical equation for photosynthesis on your page.

3. Read the article on white asparagus. Thinking about a plant’s need for light, write down two questions of your own after reading the article.

Plants and the need for lightPlants don’t actually move, they GROW in the direction of the light!

What is the name of chemical that enables plants to “move”?

Auxin

causes cell

elongation

Turning towards the lightWhat makes plants lean toward the light? Even though plants are firmly rooted in the ground, they can still move as they respond to changes in their environment. Light is so important for plant growth that they actually "bend over backwards" to get their share!

Think about it this way. The plant cells that are on the "shady" side of the plant actually grow longer than the cells on the "sunny" side. These longer cells grow this way because of a chemical in them called an auxin. An auxin, is a plant growth hormone that helps regulate shoot growth. Under normal light conditions auxins are spread out in the plant. But when sunlight varies, auxin is broken down on the sunnier side of the stem. The higher concentration of auxin on the shady side causes the plant cells on that side to grow more so it bends toward the light.

Can a plant grow without light?White asparagus article.

White Asparagus: Germany’s Underground King of Vegetables

By Sheila Madary on July 2, 2014

How plants obtain foodPhotosynthesis –

They are known as autotrophs (remember that term?)

Station 5 Questions – Baby plants! 1. What is an advantage of asexual reproduction, such as the potato is capable of?

2. What is pollination?

3. What are the male and female parts of a plant called?

4. What are some plants and their pollinators? (Give three examples)

5. What is an advantage of attracting pollinators?

How Plants ReproduceSexually – through seed production from flowers or cones

Ex. Lily plant

Asexually – by budding

Ex. Potato plants

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UQnscSrIsMw

Station 5 – Baby Plants!Potato sprouts – asexual reproduction Spider plant - asexual

What is pollination?One of the most crucial events in ensuring the completion of a flowering plant’s life cycle is pollination. With very few exceptions, this involves cross-pollination, where two different parent plants are involved. Successful cross-pollination results in pollen being delivered from the male part, or stamen, of one flower to the female part, or pistil, of another (see picture below). After this occurs, sperm are produced within the pollen grain and a pollen tube carrying the sperm grows toward the ovary at the base of the flower. Fertilization, which is another crucial event, occurs when the pollen tube grows into the ovary and sperm are united with egg.

What are the male and female

parts of a flower?

Plants and their pollinatorsHere are some other adaptations that match flowers to pollinators:

1. phyllium, stinkplant - The phyllium plant attracts flies by giving off a smell of rotting meat

2. Large, flat flowers that allow poor fliers, like beetles, to land on top and feed on pollen

3. Flowers with “landing pads” at the bottom that allow insects, like bees, to walk in

The phyllium plant attracts flies by

giving off a smell of rotting meat

Large, flat flowers attractive

to poor fliersGood flowers for bees

Plants and their pollinatorsHere are some more adaptations that match flowers to pollinators:

4. Flowers shaped as deep, narrow tubes that are pollinated by insects with long “tongues,” like butterflies

5. Tubular red or yellow flowers that attract hoverers, like hummingbirds

Station 6 Questions - Plant Structure #21. What is the purpose of a plant’s roots?

2. What is the advantage to have a bulb as part of a plant?

3. Give a few examples of roots or bulbs that we commonly eat.

4. What is artificial selection?

5. Debatable question: Are we better off for having more reliable crops, but less variety of types of foods? Explain your response.

Plant RootsWhat is the purpose of roots?

Roots act like straws absorbing water and minerals from the soil. Tiny root hairs stick out of the root, helping in the absorption.

Roots help to anchor the plant in the soil so it does not fall over.

Roots also store extra food for future use

Plant roots

Different types of roots serve different purposes and are yet another way plants adapt to their environment

Bulbs on PlantsFood is stored in the roots, often this is called a “bulb”

Food is stored so that the plant can use it to grow a new stem and leaves in the spring

A bulb's fleshy leaves—which in some species are actually expanded leaf bases—function as food reserves that enable a plant to lie dormant when water is unavailable (during winter or drought) and resume its active growth when favorable conditions again prevail.

Bulbs or roots that we consume (a few examples)

Artificial SelectionAll of our food crops are modified by man. The process of genetically modifying or choosing which genes are favorable is known as artificial selection.

Read the two short articles on artificial selection in order to answer questions on them.

Station 7 – Forces that affect plants (questions)1. Seed emergence is one step in what process?

2. Seed emergence is how seeds come out of the soil. Why do you think that the root comes out first?

3. What is the type of tropism that the leaves go through?

4. What is turgor pressure?

5. Draw a picture of a plant cell with low turgor pressure (wilted plant) and a plant cell with high turgor pressure. Draw an arrow to the cell organelle that plays a key role in this pressure.

Seed Emergence – Watch video

Seed emergence - Occurs during germination

When the seed begins to absorb water into the seed tissues, the pressure builds up and the outer seed coat bursts

Turgor pressure is what is pushing on the seed coat

Seed emergence video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8N6IiX7JAL4

Seed Emergence

Once the seed begins to emerge from the soil…how does it know up from down?

Geotropism may be a positive response to gravity – roots grow down and stems up

A look at Turgor PressureWhat it looks like in action:

Turgor pressure

In your own words, write what turgor pressure is in the space provided

Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=44igB-0PVqA

Your homework: