EC: Plant Adaptations Lesson

Let's Learn About Plants

Plant Responses

Plants do not have a nervous system as we do, but many are able to respond to environmental stimuli in a few different ways. We will discuss three of the most well-known below.

Oxalis

Watch this video of the common houseplant, Oxalis. What type of response (tropism, nastic movement) is shown? What sort of stimulus do you think the leaves are responding to?

Which type of response (tropism or nastic) is being shown?

It is responding to light in a non-directional movement.

This is called Nastic.

Plant Adaptations

An adaptation is a trait that helps an organism survive in the environment. Let’s take a look at different types of plant adaptations.

Defensive Example:

Defensive adaptations help a plant protect itself from being eaten. They can be physical or chemical.

  1. Physical defenses include thorns (modified stems) and spines (modified leaves) as well as hard shells around seeds.
  2. Chemical defenses include poisons, bitter-tasting chemicals, or chemicals that disrupt insect development and reproduction.

Examples: The Coconut & Foxglove Plant

  • The coconut protects its seeds with thick, physical armor.
  • The foxglove plant is filled with a number of chemicals that can cause nausea/vomiting, hallucinations, and death.

Carnivorous Plants

Parasitic Plant Example

Some plants are parasites, their roots growing directly into another host plant and tapping into their nutrients.

Example: Mistletoe

Mistletoe is a parasitic plant, growing on the trunks or branches of other trees and sometimes killing them, but it is also considered a keystone species for its ecosystem because it is an important food source.

Check out this video below to review what has been learned about plant structures and adaptations.

Plant Adaptations Membrane Challenge and Before You Go

Now that you have watched the video -try and answer the questions below.

Before You Go - You Need To Know

The following key points are from the explore section of the lesson. You must know the following information before moving to the next lesson. This is just a summary of the key points.

 

  1. What are the three ways plants respond to stimuli?
    • Tropism, nastic movements, and circadian responses
  2. What is an adaptation?
    • A beneficial feature that helps an organism survive in a particular environment.
  3. What are the different types of plant adaptations?
    • Environmental, Defensive, Nutritional, Reproductive

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