Transcript File
th
6
Grade - plants
Purpose of plants
Why do we need plants???
Leaves
Purpose of leaves
to produce food for plant
Needs of Leaves
Needs of Leaves:
Water – from the ground
Air – through the stomata (stoma) – little
holes in the bottom of the leaf
Light – from the sun
Photosynthesis
Photosynthesis – The chemical process
by which green plants produce food
without photosynthesis plants cannot
grow
Plants are the only living things that can
make their own food
All life depends on plants
Definitions of
photosynthesis
Chlorophyll – the pigment (coloring) that
makes plant green
Chloroplasts – tiny packages of chlorophyll
contained in the cells of the leaf
Glucose – a type of sugar that plants need to
live
Leaves also make proteins and vitamins for
plant’s nourishment
Process of Photosynthesis
Parts of a leaf
VEIN
MIDRIB
STEM
Parts of a leaf
Parts of a leaf
Stem – joins the leaf to a plant
Vein – spread outward from the stem, transport
liquids and reinforce structure
Midrib – large vein that runs straight up the
middle of the leaf
Color – most food making cells (top)
Cuticle – waxy covering that coats the skin of a
leaf and prevents water from escaping
Special Leaves
Twining climbers
Vines – plants that climb upwards as they
grow by clinging to tall objects
Tendrils – special leaves that are the hands
with which a vine grasps a support structure
Special Leaves
Tasty storage space
These leaves grow partially below the
ground. They insulate the plant in the cold.
Many layers of lower leaves that remain
below the ground for a bulb. Ex. onion
Special Leaves
Prickly Protection
Spines – of cacti are special leaves that
contain no chlorophyll
Spines protect the water storing stem of the
cactus plant
Special Leaves
Insect Eaters
“insectvorous” insect eaters
Contain chlorophyl (manufacture their own
food) but also obtain some food from bodies
of their victims
Insect Eaters
Venus fly trap
Leaves are hinged
so they can close like
jaws of a steel trap
Tiny hairs on the
inside trigger the
jaws when touched
by an insect
Insect Eaters
Bladderwort
Underwater plant
Hollow, bladder-like
leaves filled with water
When trigger hairs are
bumped the leaf
expands and creature is
trapped as water is
sucked into the leaf
Insect Eaters
Pitcher plant
Attracts insect with
its bright color leaves
and smell of its
honey like nectar
When an insect
lands on the rim it
slides down the
slippery sides and
becomes trapped
Insect Eaters
Sundew
Attracts insects with
its glistening bait –
sticky “dew drops”
Insects get stuck on
the dew drops and
then the long hairs
close around it.
Roots and Stems
Shoot System –
every part of the
plant visible above
ground
Root system –
part of the plant
located below the
ground
Roots
Roots:
Always grow downward
Anchor plant in soil; keep soil from
washing or blowing away
Main job is to absorb water and minerals
for the plant’s use
Taproot – main root that goes deep into
the ground to locate water
How a root functions
A root grows only at its tip. The root cap
is a layer of protective cells that cover the
tip. Root hairs, tiny projections near the
end of the root, worm their way through
the soil to find water. Roots absorb more
water than is necessary. Water that is
not needed evaporates through the
stomata.
Roots are the shipping and receiving
warehouse for the plant (bring in water
and minerals to the leaves; store extra
glucose, food)
Roots store extra sugar by converting it
into substances called starches
Stems
Plant Super highway with 2 pipelines
1. carries water and minerals from roots
to leaves
2. carries dissolved food from leaves to
stem to roots
Parts of stems
Stem tip – upper part – produces plant’s
growth
Cellulose – tough material made by plant cells,
forms a strong cell wall around each plant cell
Cell Wall – outer membrane of plant cell
Stolon (runner) – stem that grows along the
surface of the ground
Rhizomes – thick storage stems below the
ground that help produce new plants
Tropism
Def: growth of a plant in response to a
condition in its environment
4 types of Tropism
Geotropism – plant’s response to gravity
Hydrotropism – plant’s response to water
Phototropism – plants response to light
Thigmotropism – plants response to
touch