Plant Adaptations

Common Plant Parts There are more than half a million different types of plants, and even though they look different, they all have some common parts. Most plants have: roots stems leaves flowers seeds

Common Plant Parts Plants also have adaptations that make it easier for them to live in their environment.

obtaining food Root functions Act as anchors to keep the plant in the ground. Take in water an minerals from the soil. Some roots store food. http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Cycads_root.png

obtaining food Root adaptations Roots must adapt to many different environments Spread out and create a shallow root system Grow a deep tap root Grow above ground to support the tree Store food for later use

obtaining food Leaf functions To gather sunlight for photosynthesis To absorb some water and carbon dioxide To protect the plant Leaves have many shapes and sizes, all depending on the environment and how much sunlight the plant needs.

obtaining food To gather sunlight for photosynthesis

movement Plant can move in response to some stimuli. gravitropism thigmotropism phototropism hydrortopism

protection Stem functions Hold the plant upright and support the leaves Carry water, minerals and food around the plant Defend the plant against consumers

protection Stems and trunks must adapt to many different environments Rigid and made of bark Flexible and not made of bark Have xylem to carry water and food around the plant Defenses against consumers

reproduction Flower functions Attract pollinators Contains the reproductive parts of the plant

reproduction Attract pollinators Mimics a female insect to attract a male insect Attract pollinators Smells like rotten meat to attract flies Smells sweet to attract bees

reproduction Seed functions Protect the seedling Help the seed to move

reproduction Help the seed to move Projectile-seeds thrown from plant Burrs-stick to animals Dispersal by water Dispersal by wind Seeds pass through a digestive track

3 Need-to-Know Examples of Internal Adaptations Hollow bones in Birds Gills in Fish Xylem in Plants

Hollow Bones in Birds

Hollow Bones in Birds

Hollow Bones in Birds Internal Structure: Hollow Bones Function: Hollow bones is just one of the advantages birds have gained through evolution. This makes them light, and a light body allows them to fly faster, using less energy. It takes a lot of energy to fly. The more a bird weighs, the more energy it takes to fly. Eagles, for example, have a lightweight frame that gives them maximum strength with the least possible amount of weight. In fact, the weight of an eagle's skeleton is only half a pound.

Gills in Fish

Gills in Fish Internal Structure: Gills Function: Gills are the respiratory organs of fish. First, a fish swallows water through its mouth. Then the water flows over the gills. The gills take out oxygen from the water which passes back out of the fish. The oxygen is then absorbed through the capillaries into the blood stream of the fish.

Xylem In Plants Cross section of oak xylem

Xylem In Plants

Xylem In Plants Internal Structure: Xylem Function: Part of a plant's vascular system that transports water and minerals from the roots to the rest of the plant and furnishes support. The xylem makes up the major part of a stem or root and the wood of a tree. The xylem consists of special water-conducting tissues made up mostly of several types of narrow, long, hollow cells.

Internal Adaptations of an Archer Fish

In the quiet waters of the Orient, there is an unusual fish known as the Archer fish. It is unlike any other fish in that it finds its prey outside of the water. The archer fish are known for their habit of preying on land-based insects and other small animals by literally shooting them down with water droplets from their specialized mouths.

Click on the picture below to watch a video of the amazing archer fish. Click here

Adaptation and Environmental Change If an organism’s environment changes, the characteristics that it has inherited will determine if it can adapt and survive. pandas cannot adapt well to new environments coyotes easily adapt to any environment