Plant Adaptations

What is an Adaptation? 1. Plants have adaptations to help them survive (live and grow) in different areas. An adaptation is a structure inherited by DNA that allow a plant or animal to live in a particular place or habitat.

What is an Adaptation? 2. There are four main types of plants Bryophytes (mosses) Ferns Gymnosperms (cone-bearing plants) Angiosperms (flowering plants) In this lesson you will learn about these plants and how they are adapted for survival on land.

ADAPTATIONS – THE STEM 3. One adaptation is to have vascular tissue inside the stem (you can see it in the celery pictures). These are tubes that help transport materials through the body (like your veins and arteries). a. Mosses are small, spongy plants. They are called non-vascular plants, because they don’t have any special tubes. They have to live close to water.

ADAPTATIONS – THE STEM Veins you see in a leaf are the 3. b. Ferns, gymnosperms, and angiosperms all have vascular tissue. One type of vascular tissue is xylem. It carries water up from the roots. Another type is phloem. It carries food down from the leaves. “Xylem moves water up and phloem moves food down. Xylem up and phloem down.” On your picture, label what is moving UP in the xylem and what is moving DOWN the phloem. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AKC8pSFg1Vw&list=RDAKC8pSFg1Vw#t=9 Veins you see in a leaf are the Vascular tissue!

LEAF adaptations Most leaf adaptations help the plant do photosynthesis. Remember the equation for photosynthesis? CO2 + H2O + light C6H12O6 + O2. The leaf needs to get carbon dioxide gas into the cells and let oxygen gas out. It also needs to keep the water that was brought by the xylem.

LEAF adaptations For the gases to be exchanged, the plant has a small opening called a stomata. It is able to open and close to let the gases in and out. Sometimes water escapes also! On your picture of the stomata, label what is going IN and label the two things that would be coming OUT…. b. To prevent water loss, the leaves are usually covered in a waxy cuticle.

Root adaptations The jobs of the roots are to anchor the plant and absorb water. Some roots are even modified to store food (like carrots!).

Root adaptations a. To help absorb water, plants have tiny extensions for more surface. These are called root hairs.

Reproduction adaptations 6. Gymnosperms and angiosperms both have seeds that help them reproduce. Seeds are adaptations because they can remain dormant or not growing, until the conditions are right. They also don’t dry out, and they can be transported by wind, water or animals!

Reproduction adaptations There are three parts to a seed. a. Plant embryo (baby plant) b. Seed coat c. Food supply

Reproduction adaptations 7. Angiosperms (think of the girl’s name Angie) have flowers for reproduction. Flowers have brightly colored petals that will attract birds and insects to transfer the pollen.

Reproduction adaptations a. The stamen (notice the word “men” is in the word!) is the male part of the flower and makes pollen which contains the sperm.   b. The female part of a flower is called the pistil. It has a sticky stigma to capture the pollen and guide it down to the ovule where the egg is. Once the egg is fertilized, it becomes a seed.

Reproduction adaptations    8. Angiosperms also make fruit which surround the seed. The fruit usually has a lot of sugar to attract animals to eat the fruit. The main advantage for having fruits is to get the seed spread away from the parent plant. This means the new plant will not have to compete with the parent plant for sunlight, water and other nutrients.

Survival adaptations 9. Plants also have adaptations that help them not be eaten by animals. Some examples are thorns, needles and bitterness. a. The leaves on a cactus are called spines and they are very small so that the plant won’t lose water. Cacti can also store water in their stem. The tiny leaves of a cacti are usually sharp so that animals don’t eat the plant.

Survival adaptations b. Pine trees and other gymnosperms have needles for leaves. These are also small and have a thicker waxy coating so they don’t lose too much water. This is how gymnosperms don’t need to lose their leaves in the winter. c. Some plants taste bitter or have poisons so that they won’t be eaten.

SUMMARY SLIDE Adaptations help plants survive and reproduce There are four kinds of plants: mosses, ferns, gymnosperms, and angiosperms Vascular plants (all but mosses) have veins with tubes to transport materials through the plant. Xylem transports water up and phloem moves food down. Leaves have pores called stomata on the underside. Openings for carbon dioxide to come in, oxygen and water can leave through .

SUMMARY SLIDE 5. Plant leaves also have a waxy layer on top of them to keep them from drying out. 6. Plants have root hairs to help absorb water. 7. Seed plants (angiosperms and gymnosperms) have seeds that allow the baby plant to stay dormant until growing conditions are good.

SUMMARY SLIDE 8. Flowering plants have bright petals to attract pollinators to transfer pollen (sperm) from one plant to another. Flowering plants also have fruits to help in seed dispersal so the new plants are FAR away from the parent plant. 9. Plants may also have specialized parts. Having thorns or tasting bad keep animals from eating them 10. Plants have variations in plant parts to allow them to better survive in other environments. Examples are needles in gymnosperms to prevent freezing, big leaves in the rainforest to get sunlight , strong sturdy stems to grow tall or flexible stems to grow like a vine.

Animal Adaptations and Behavior

An adaptation is anything that allows a living thing to survive where it lives. Since animals live in many different environments, there are lots of ways animals have adapted. Animal adaptations can be either physical features or behaviors. A behavior is the way an animal acts. Animal Adaptations

Animals have different physical adaptations that help them survive. Even though all of the animals pictured have the same arrangement of bones in their limbs, they can do different jobs because the shapes are slightly different. The different shapes are adaptations. Cat Bat Human Whale

Animals have different physical adaptations that help them survive. Even though all of the animals pictured have the same arrangement of bones in their limbs, they can do different jobs because the shapes are slightly different. The different shapes are adaptations. Cat Bat Human Whale

Physical Adaptations Lungs and limbs allow amphibians to move on land Wings, feathers, and hollow bones allow birds to fly A shark’s streamlined body shape is adapted for swimming in the ocean. Physical Adaptations

Physical Adaptations-Color Another physical adaptations is coloring. Camouflage allows an animal to blend in with the surroundings. Mimicry allows animals to copy the appearance of another animal or plant Bright colors can warn other animals of danger or attract mates Certain markings can make an animal look bigger to scare off predators or attract prey. These are not EYES – they are spots on a Moth’s wings! Physical Adaptations-Color

Behavioral Adaptations Behavior is any thing an animal DOES. Animal behaviors also help animals survive and/or reproduce.

There were two main types of behavior. Innate behavior is behavior that is not learned. Reflexes and instincts are examples of innate behavior. This type of behavior is programmed in the DNA – animals are born knowing these behaviors! Learned behaviors have to be acquired after you are born. Examples of learned behavior are imprinting, conditioning, trial-and-error, and insight. Animal Behaviors

Innate Behavior Innate behavior is also called inborn behavior. Innate behaviors include reflexes and instincts An example of this is a human suckling. Another example is spiders spinning webs Birds flying south for the winter (migration) Hibernation is another innate behavior. Innate behaviors are very common in animals that don’t live very long. Innate Behavior

Learned Behavior - Imprinting One kind of learned behavior is imprinting In imprinting, animals form an attachment with their parents (or who they think their parents are…..) Konrad Lorenz had geese imprint on HIM Click on the picture to the right to see how a man had wild turkeys imprint on him as he discovers their behavior. Learned Behavior - Imprinting

Learned Behavior - conditioning Learned behaviors can be more complex. One example is conditioning The picture shows how conditioning works, like with Pavlov’s dogs. The dogs were conditioned to drool when they were shown a bell? They have been trained that when the bell rings, they get fed! You’ve been conditioned, too – when the bell rings at the end of class, you know it’s time to leave Learned Behavior - conditioning

Learned Behavior -Trial and Error Trial and Error is another type of learned behavior. The animal learns the behavior by trying out different ways. The behavior improves with practice One example is rats and mazes – they learn the right path over time Can you think of a time when you’ve used trial and error? Learned Behavior -Trial and Error

Learned Behavior - Insight Insight learning is the most complex type of learned behavior. Insight learning occurs when animals can APPLY what they have learned to a new situation Insight learning requires a complex brain Learned Behavior - Insight

Summary Slide Animals have both physical and behavioral adaptations to help them survive and reproduce Examples of physical adaptations are bone structures, limbs, wings, lungs, and colors. Animal coloring adaptations include camouflage, mimicry, bright colors, and patterns. Animal behavior is any thing an animal does. Behaviors can be innate (inborn) or learned. Examples of innate behavior include reflexes and instincts Examples of learned behavior include imprinting, conditioning, trial-and error, and insight.