Plant Adaptations

Plant

Adaptations

How plants cope with the conditions of Earth

Biomes are climates defined by their temperature and their annual precipitation. Plants are found in all of these Biomes, but need a wide array of adaptation in order for the plants to survive such drastically different conditions.

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Biomes

​What do plants need to survive?

​Plants need to have energy from a light source such as the sun, water, and minerals from the soil (or a fertilizer). That means that in the wild plants are competing for these resources. Sometimes these resources are OVER abundant and plants have to cope with too much sun, water, or minerals.

​Chemical rxn of photosynthesis

H₂O + CO₂ --(light energy)--> C₆H₁₂O₆ + O₂

​Pollination and Seed Dispersal

​Plants also have to deal with being able to reproduce without being able to move around. Many adaptations have arisen in order to help with these processes.

​Bat covered in pollen

​Dandelion seeds being dispersed by the wind

​White-breasted Nuthatch eating seeds

​Water

​Water is essential for photosynthesis, and in areas of low water, plants may have to have ways to store water for periods of no or little rain. Plants may also need to capture as much water as possible in a short period of time. Other plants have to deal with massive quantities of water and deal with root rot. Mangrove trees keep sections of their roots above water. It also provides a great habitat for animals.

Open Ended

Think of one type of habitat that would have high water/precipitation levels and one habitat that has very low water/precipitation levels.

​Sunlight

​While plants need sunlight to perform photosynthesis, it also increases the rate of transpiration (water evaporating from plants). In areas with high levels of sunlight, they may have smaller leaves, hair on the leaves (trichomes). These hairs protect the plant from losing water and can also protect them from animals and insects eating the plants. In other instances, sunlight may be limited the leaves may be much larger in order to capture as much sunlight as possible.

Open Ended

What is an environmental condition that would limit the amount of sunlight that a plant may be exposed to?

​Pollination

​Because plants cannot move they must depend on other ways to move pollen from one plant to another. There are several ways that plants can do this:

Insects

Bats

Birds

Wind

Water

Open Ended

What color flowers do hummingbirds normally visit. (Best guess)

​Seed Dispersal

​Seeds also need to be dispersed. If plants germinate (begin to grow from seeds) directly near the parent plants, then they will be in direct competition. Seeds can be dispersed by animals eating them and excreting them. They can also be dispersed by wind or water as well. Some seeds are dispersed by animals storing the seeds to eat later and forgetting where they left them.

Open Ended

What type of seed dispersal do dandelions have?

​Defense Mechanisms

​Plants are primary producers, this means that food chains rely on them to produce the base of the trophic level pyramid. Plants need to defend themselves from animals and insects that eat them. This can be done through physical or chemical defense mechanisms. Some plants even have symbiotic relationships with insects that protect them from other threats.