An Epic Quest in Mr. Fox’s Science Class The Kingdom of Plants An Epic Quest in Mr. Fox’s Science Class

Kingdom of Plants What makes a plant a plant?

All Plants 1. All are autotrophs – make their own food. 2. have chloroplasts and chlorophyll to carry out photosynthesis 3. Have a cell wall 4. are multicellular 5. reproduce sexually using pollen and ovules.

For survival on land! 1. have ways to obtain water 2. be able to retain water 3. transport material around the plant 4. support their bodies 5. reproduce successfully

Energy Needs Where does a plant get its energy?

Light for Plants Light from the sun is made of many different colors. (roygbiv) The color of light that is reflected by an object gives it its color. Plants use mostly red and yellow light for photosynthesis. How do you know they do not use green?

Light for Plants What do you think the difference between a regular light bulb and one that is made especially for growing plants?

Photosynthesis (reviewed) Photosynthesis - chemical process that converts light into chemical energy. 6 CO2 + 6 H2O  C6H12O6 + 6 O2 Where does photosynthesis take place?

The Plants!!! Plants can be classified into two main groups: 1. non-vascular plants – low growing plants with out vascular structures (tubes) to carry water, nutrients, and sugar. Examples: mosses, liverworts, and hornworts 2. Vascular Plants – have vascular tissues (tubes) to transport food and water throughout the plant. Can grow very large.

Seed Plants Most numerous plants on earth. All share 2 characteristics: They have vascular structures Use seeds to reproduce

Vascular Tissue Phloem cells – Tube-like structures that carry food from the leaves to the rest of the plant. Xylem – Transport nutrients and water from the roots to the leaves

Vascular tissue of a Plant

Seeds Contain young plants inside. Produced when sperm (pollen) and egg (ovules) come together. Seeds have three main parts.

Seeds

Parts of a Seed 1. Seed coat – protects the zygotes (fertilized egg) inside the seed. Keeps the baby from drying out. Some seeds over 10,000 years old have been germinated and grown.

Parts of a Seed 2. Embryo – baby plant, already has beginnings of roots, stems and leaves 3. Stored food – stored in seed leaves called cotyledons. When we eat things like beans, peas, peanuts, we are eating the stored food for the embryo.

Draw and Label the seed.

Seed Dispersal 1. Animals – animals may eat the fruits or seeds of plants and after passing through their digestive system get dispersed in the environment. Some plant seeds stick to animals and get moved to different areas.

Seed Dispersal 2. Water – Many seeds float on water and are carried great distances from their parent plant. Palm trees produce seeds that can travel thousands of miles in the ocean before coming to rest on a beach, and growing into a new tree.

Seed Dispersal 3. Wind – plants like milkweed, dandelions, pines, and maples use wind to disperse their seeds.

Seed Dispersal 4. Seed Shooters – (not a science name) some plants have special seed pods that explode when touched shooting their seed out.

Luck of the Draw If a seed is lucky enough to land in a warm, moist area it may germinate and start to grow. Germination – beginning growth of a seed. First the roots grow down and then the stem begins to grow up. (How does the plant know up from down?)

Leaves The most recognizable part of most plants. Used to capture the sun’s energy through photosynthesis and produce food. Structure and function of a typical plant leaf. Label the parts of the plant leaf and then use pages 144 and 145 to describe the function of each part.

Transpiration Process of water vapor exiting through the stomata of leaves. Plants control the amount of transpiration by closing or opening their stomata

Stems Serve 2 main purposes to the plant: 1. carriers substances between the roots and the leaves 2. Supports the leaves for maximum exposure to the sun.

Stems Herbaceous stems – soft and bendable like peppers, tomatoes, tulips, onions, etc… usually cannot grow very tall. Woody stems – contain bark on their outer surfaces more rigid and strong than herbaceous stems, can grow very tall. (trees)

Stems Label the parts of the woody stem.

Stems Parts Cambium Layer – a very thin layer of cells that produces new xylem and phloem cells. How can you tell how old a tree is? How can a tree provide evidence for past climatic conditions?

Aging a Tree A cross section of a tree reveals a series of light and dark rings. These are xylem cells. The light areas are produced in early spring and the dark areas in the summer and fall. Each pair of light and dark rings is one years growth. Count the pairs and you have the age of the tree.

Climate history – the width of the summer rings is an indication of what the weather was like. Wide rings mean ample water and good growth, and narrow rings indicate poor conditions and poor growth.

Roots 2 main functions: 1. Anchor the plant to the earth. 2. Absorb water and nutrients from the soil.

Types of roots Page 149 in your book. Fill in your notes.. The types of roots and the function of the following parts of the roots.

Tap Root

Fibrous Root

Gymnosperms and Angiosperms Gymnosperm – word means “naked seed”. Seeds are not covered by a protective coating. Leave are modified into needles or scales. Most are trees.

Types of Gymnosperm 1. Cycads – oldest known vascular plants that still exists. All are tropical.

Types of Gymnosperms 2. Ginkos – another ancient tree type. “city trees” because they tolerate pollution.

Types of Gymnosperms 3. Gnetophytes – most are found in arid regions, very rare

Types of Gymnosperms 4. Conifers – Most common of the gymnosperms. All are evergreen except the Tamarack, which looses its needles. Largest and oldest plants on the earth. Examples include, pine, spruce, cedars, hemlocks, junipers, etc. Most construction lumber is produced from conifers

Reproduction in Gymnosperms All reproduce by producing cones. Male cones are small and produce pollen (sperm). Female cones are scaly and produce ovules (eggs). Pollination occurs when the pollen falls or is blown onto the sticky female cone. Fertilization happens when the pollen reaches the egg. Seeds are dispersed by the wind.

Angiosperms Word means “covered seed.” The seed is in a protective coat. All have flowers and fruits. Angiosperms are divided into two main groups, Monocots and Dicots.

Angiosperms monocots Dicots Single seed leaf (cotyledon) Long narrow leaves Parallel veins Flower parts are in 3’s or multiples of 3’s Grass corn, wheat, daffodils, palms, iris, tulip, etc. Two cotyledons Broad leaves with branched` veins Flowers in 4’s or 5’s or multiples Oak, roses, beans, maple, dandelion

Monocots

Dicots

Monocot vs. Dicot

Parts of a Flower Use page 157 in to label parts of the flower. Then describe each parts function below.

Parts of a Flower

Tropism A plant’s growth toward or away from a stimulus Positive – grow toward the stimulus (light) Negative – grow away from the stimulus (gravity)

tropisms Tropisms are controlled by hormones. One hormone is called auxin. An auxin speeds up plant growth. Some auxins are used in production of crops. Do you see any problems with this?