Plant Adaptations for Land and Water

​Plant Adaptations

for Land and Water​

Open Ended

Where do you think all of our energy comes from?

All energy on earth comes from the sun.

Plants can directly use energy from the sun through photosynthesis.​

The energy from plants are taken by plant-eating animals.

Plant-eaters are eaten by meat-eaters like us.​

Without plants, we would not be able to live.

​

​Plants and the Sun

​

Aside from food and energy, plants provide us with oxygen.

Plants also have many medicinal applications.

Plant materials are used in manufacturing, like clothing and paper.

Lumber is used in construction.

Plants regulate temperature, and protect us from erosion​ and flood.

​

​Plants and Us

​

Open Ended

What problems could we face if plants and trees disappeared?

Terrestrial plants grow on land.​

They grow in various environments.​

​They have specialized parts that help them to survive in their environment.

​Plants on Land

​

Plants need soil, water, sunlight, and carbon dioxide.

Roots - anchor and secure plants, as well as absorb water and nutrients from the soil.

Epiphytes - air plants like orchids, mosses, and bromeliads are attached to other plants or trees.

They help their host to retain moisture.

​Special Structures

​

​Orchids grow high upon other trees.

Stilt roots - grow on the stems or trunks and prop up the plant's main body.

They are used by plants that grow on narrow soil with fewer nutrients.

Buttress roots - ​many rainforest trees have this kind of root. They are flat and wide which help them get nutrients from a wide area.

​

​Special Structures

​

buttress roots

stilt roots

Multiple Choice

How do air plants help their host?

• They help them retain water or moisture.

• They hide the trunk from ants.

• They attract bees.

Leaves​

​Cactus leaves have waxy coverings to avoid evaporation.

Leaves come in many shapes and sizes.

Banana leaves are large and broad to help absorb sunlight.

Pine trees have needle-like leaves so they don't get covered in snow.​

Bulbs are special leaves that can store food like in onions.

​

​Special Structures

​

lithops or stone plants

pine cones and needles

Stems​

​Cactus stems are waxy and covered in thorns which help them survive in the desert.

Some stems are like tendrils which help them grow upwards.

There are special stems like rhizomes and corms which store food.​

Big plants and trees have strong stems which stand for decades.

​

​

​Special Structures

​

Multiple Choice

Which is NOT a function of a stem?

• They support the plant and its parts.

• They bring water and nutrients to other parts of a plant.

• They create food for the plant.

​Mountain Regions - pines, spruces, and cedars have a conical shape.

They have needle-like leaves, and their branches slope down so rain and snow will slide off easily.

They produce cones which protect their seeds from the cold.

​

​

​Plants in Various Habitats

​

​Marshy Lands - plants like mangroves have roots that come from their stems.

Their roots come up out of the ground. These are called breathing roots.

This is because much of the land is submerged and the roots need to get air.​

​

​

​Plants in Various Habitats

​

Breathing roots of mangroves grow upwards above the soil.

Multiple Choice

What is a specialization that plants in Marshlands have?

• Their branches reach high and wide.

• They have needle-like leaves.

• They have breathing roots.

​Rainforests - plants in a rainforest are competing for sunlight. Many trees grow tall because of this.

Trees have thin barks because they don't have to worry about losing moisture.

The shape of their leaves allow extra water to slide off.​

​

​

​Plants in Various Habitats

​

Forest trees display a strange effect called "crown shyness" where their branches do not touch each other.

​Coastal Areas - Coconuts and palm trees have flexible stems to resist strong winds and waves.

​Their seeds are able to float on water and travel to grow somewhere else.

They have special structures that can convert saltwater into fresh water.​

​

​

​Plants in Various Habitats

​

Multiple Choice

Why do rainforest plants try to get rid of excess rainwater?

• To make sure that ants stay away.

• To avoid the growth of algae which block sunlight.

• So they can give water to the small plants below.

​Temperate Rainforests

Evergreen plants - have thick and needle-like leaves that protect against the cold.

Deciduous plants - lose their leaves in the winter. They have thick barks that protect agains forest fires.

They have roots on their stems which make them tougher.

​

​

​Plants in Various Habitats

​

Deciduous trees change the color of their leaves according to the season.

​Deserts - environments that can be extremely hot and cold.

​The Sahara is the largest, while the Antarctic is the coldest desert.

​Desert plants don't have many leaves.

They store water in their roots, stems, or leaves.

Succulent plants have narrow but wide-reaching roots.

​

​

​Plants in Various Habitats

​

saguaro cactuses

Multiple Choice

What kind of tree loses their leaves in the winter and change colors according to the seasons?

• evergreen

• coniferous

• deciduous

​Water plants are less reliant on soil.

Water plants are also called aquatic plants.

Algae, mosses, liverworts, water hyacinths, and water lilies, are significant since they provide oxygen, food, and shelter to aquatic animals.

​

​

​Water Plants

​

marimo or moss balls

Submerged plants - they are called hydrophytes.

They take root on the floor of the water body, and grow all the way up.

They grow in shallow water.

Small fish use them to hide from predators.

They provide oxygen at the bottom of the water.

​

​

​Types of Aquatic Plants

​

sea grass

Multiple Choice

What are hydrophytes?

• They are plants with no stem.

• They are true water plants.

• They are plants that have flowers.

Floating-leaf plants - they take root on the bottom of the water, and their leaves float up on the surface.

Examples are duckweed and water lentils.

​

​

​Types of Aquatic Plants

​

Free-floating plants - they float on the surface and they are not rooted at all.

They move along with the air and the water.

Insects breed on these plants, and some are eaten by fish.

​

​

​Types of Aquatic Plants

​

water cabbage

Multiple Choice

What is the difference between free-floating plants and floating-leaf plants?

• Free-floating plants are not rooted, while floating-leaf plants are rooted to the bottom.

• Free-floating plants have no leaves, while floating-leaf plants have big leaves.

• Free-floating plants have flowers, while floating-leaf plants have no flowers.

Emergent plants - their roots are underwater but the rest of the plant grows all the way up into the air.

They are often found in marshlands or coastal areas.

Examples are cattails, and bulrushes.

​

​

​Types of Aquatic Plants

​

bulrushes

They have no or thin cuticles. Cuticles are the waxy covering of plants which help them to keep water.

They have open stomata. Stomata are pores that helps control gas exchange.

They are less rigid in structure because they are supported by the water.

​

​

​Aquatic Plant Adaptations

​

They have large, flat leaves which float on the surface.

They have air sacs or bladders.

They have smaller roots so it is easier for water to reach the leaves.

Their roots are less rigid since they do not need much support.

They are more effective in taking in oxygen.

​

​

​Aquatic Plant Adaptations

​

Bladderworts trap orgnisms in their air sacs.

Open Ended

In mountainous environments, some plants trap and digest insects or other small animals. These are called carnivorous plants. Why do you think they do this?