Unit 2: Plants

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In this Unit there are four parts.

  1. Part 1: What do plants need to grow?
  2. Part 2: So what happens in the dark?
  3. Part 3: How do plants adapt to where they live?
  4. Part 4: Why do we need plants?

You will need to read through parts 1 and 2 to do the first activity.

Part 1: What do plants need to grow?

Just like us, plants need food (nutrients), water and energy to grow and be healthy.

Nutrients

For plants, nutrients come from CO2 (carbon dioxide) in the atmosphere and minerals in the soil. Animals breathe in oxygen they release CO2 (carbon dioxide) into the air. The plants take in the CO2 (carbon dioxide) that has been exhaled. To do this plants have tiny openings called stomata in their leaves. Carbon dioxide is taken into the plant through these openings. Essentially, plants recycle the carbon dioxide, using it for the process of photosynthesis.

Water

Water is absorbed through the plant’s roots. The water travels through the roots up long tubes that lead from the roots to other parts of the plant. These tubes are called xylem.

Sunlight

Sunlight plays a large role in everything we do in our lives: all the food we eat and all the fossil fuel we use is a product of photosynthesis. The process that converts energy in sunlight to sugars that we use for energy is called Photosynthesis.

Photosynthesis is carried out by plants and algae. All these organisms convert CO2 (carbon dioxide) gas to sugars. The energy for this process is provided by light, which is absorbed by pigments (called chlorophyll). Chlorophylls are found in green plants.

Click here to see an image showing Photosynthesis.

The equation for Photosynthesis is:

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Part 2: So what happens in the dark?

All plants and animals (all living things) engage in a process called respiration. Respiration uses Oxygen (O2) from the air and the sugars made during Photosynthesis to produce energy.

During Respiration, Carbon Dioxide (CO2) is produced and released into the atmosphere. In other words Respiration is the opposite of Photosynthesis.

The equation forRespirationis:

Respiration does not need sun light and so it happens 24 hours a day. This means that plants and animals have enough energy to do all of the things they do to stay alive.

Activity:

Open a new word document and save it as (your initials)flowchart

Insert a Smart Art and choose a format so that you can represent the fact that Carbon Dioxide (CO2) is used in Photosynthesis and produced by Respiration .

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Part 3: How do plants adapt to where they live?

For this section you will use photos that I have taken while in the Daintree Rainforest and explain how each of the structures are used by plants to help them live successfully in a Rainforest, where rainfall is high and light is often low.

Set up a table like the one shown below. Use at least 1 photograph to explain how this feature is an adaptation so that the plant can live successfully in a rainforest. Add extra rows to your table if you need to.

Feature

Photograph

How does this feature help the plant adapt to living in a Rainforest

Leaves – size, colour, shape and texture

   

Trunks or stems – bark, length and diameter

   

Roots – buttress roots

   

These might be useful references:

  1. http://www.blueplanetbiomes.org/rainforest.htm
  2. http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:vYRT1icnfGsJ:www.chelseaphysicgarden.co.uk/education/teachersnewsletters/adaptationsnewsletter.doc+drip+tips+plant+adaptations&cd=5&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=au

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Part 4: Why do we need plants?

Forests are always changing. Some trees are growing while others are decaying. Forests rely on recycling. The falling leaves sticks and flowers from plants and the bodies of dead animals decompose so that the nutrients can be reused by other green plants.

We have already seen how Photosynthesis and Respiration work together but there are other cycles that occur in a forest. The cycle described above is the biological part of the Carbon cycle.

Use the above information and this website to give details about the Carbon Cycle and explain why we need plants.

To answer this you can annotate a drawing of the cycle in your Neighbourhood – Integrated Project book, use a graphics package on your netbook, record an interview with a ‘scientist’ or record an oral report using Audacity or something else that you can think of. Be creative!

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