Growing things – plant power
Research
By Holly Marx
In this power point you will learn
about pollination, germination, plant
adaptations and more.
Could we live without plants?
Why, Why not ?
We cannot live without plants. Plants help us and the
environment in many different ways.
Plants make food, they produce all the food that animals
and people eat. Plants also produce oxygen, oxygen is what
people and animals must have to stay alive. All of the
oxygen available for living things comes from plants. Plants
are a perfect home for animals as well. Animals can live in,
on or under plants and provide shelter from heavy rainfall
or strong winds.
Bibliography: http://mbgnet.net/bioplants/earth.html
How does pollination work?
For a flower to be pollinated the pollen must move from
the stamen to the stigma when the pollen moves it is called
self – pollination. When the pollinators come and collect
the pollen they can only take it to the same type of flower
(e.g. pollen from a daisy can only go the another daisy).
When the pollen from a plants stamen is moved to a
another plants stigma, it is called cross – pollination.
Bibliography: http://www.mbgnet.net/bioplants/pollination.html
What is bee pollen used for?
Bee pollen is used as a supplements in the hive. Bee pollen
comes from the pollen off a flower that the worker bees
get on their front legs, and gets removed once they get
back to the hive. Bee pollen is the food
that they use too raise the bee larvae.
It is 40% protein, it also contains a little
a bit of nectar added by the bees.
Bibliography: http://www.ehow.com/about_5137591_bee-pollenused.html
What is germination? How does it
work?
When a baby plant is growing, we call it germination. The
cotyledons store food for the baby plant in the seed to help
it grow.
First the young
root appears.
The skin splits and
the shoot
straightens, pulling
the cotyledons with
it
The main root gets
bigger and grows
side roots, and the
first leaves appear.
Cotyledon - the hard outer case of the seed which holds the embryo (baby
part of the plant) and gives it food supply.
Bibliography: http://library.thinkquest.org/3715/germ6.html
What are the different ways of
dispersal?
There is many different ways of dispersal:
Animal dispersal
Animals disperse seeds in several ways. Some plants have
sharp structures that get tangled in animal fur or feathers,
and are then carried to new sites.
Wind dispersal
The kind of seeds which are often wind dispersed are
smaller seeds that have wings or hair – like or feather-like
structures.
Water dispersal
Many aquatic plants and plants that live near water have
seeds that can float, and are carried by water
Bibliography: http://mbgnet.net/bioplants/seed.html
What are plant adaptations?
Plant adaptations help plants to survive in different areas.
Adaptations allow a plant or animal to live in a particular
place or habitat. Different adaptations might make it very
difficult for the plant to survive in that area. This is why
certain plants are found in one area, but not in another.
Here are some examples of plant adaptations:
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Desert
Grassland
Tropical Rain forests and Temperate Rain forests
Temperate Deciduous forest
Taiga
Tundra
In water
Bibliography: http://www.mbgnet.net/bioplants/adapt.html
What’s the difference between a
fruit and a vegetable?
A Fruit is the ripened ovary of a flower of a seed-bearing
plant and has seeds. A vegetable is not made from a flower,
they are made from the plants roots and has no seeds.
This is a list of fruits people call vegetables:
• Tomatoes
• Pumpkins
• Cucumbers
• Avocado
• Squash and Zucchini
• Peppers (all types)
Bibliography: http://glassvisage.hubpages.com/hub/Difference-betweenfruit-and-vegetable
How will we know a plant is
poisonous?
If you want to know how a plant is poisonous you can eat
it! If you have a reaction after you have swallowed, wait till
the pain dies down before testing another plant. You can
also take a cutting of the plant to the local nurse and get
the name of the plant, if you have poisonous plants around
your home you need to get rid of them!
Bibliography:
http://wiki.answers.com/Q/How_can_you_tell_if_a_plant_is_poisonous
Interesting facts on the
“wackiest plant” I could find.
Welwitschia mirabilis: World's Most
Resistant Plant!
Namibia's plant Welwitschia Mirabilis
can truly claim to be one of a kind.
Welwitschia plant consists of only two
leaves and a stem with roots.
The stem can grow to be almost 2
meters high and 8 meters wide. Their
estimated lifespan is 400 to 1500 years.
It can survive up to 5 years with no water.
Bibliography: http://www.oddee.com/item_96804.aspx
Interesting facts on fern
• The mamaku is New Zealand's tallest
tree fern, growing up to 20 metres high.
• One notable New Zealand fern is bracken (rārahu),
which grows in open, disturbed areas.
• The leaves of ferns are called fronds and when they are
young they are tightly coiled into a tight spiral. This
shape is called a 'koru' in Māori.
• The silver fern or Ponga is a national symbol and is
named for the silver underside of its fronds.
Bibliography: http://www.doc.govt.nz/conservation/native-plants/ferns/