PLANT ADAPTATIONS All living things adapt. This is a characteristic of life. All 6 kingdoms adapt. Animals are not the only organisms to adapt. Structural Plant Adaptations 1. Structures - adaptations on the body: holdfasts, empty space for water storage, catch animals for minerals, tallness, heartiness, thorns, flexibility, floatation devices 2. Seeds – all seeds have adaptations to better enable it to survive long enough to plant itself and grow.

SEED ADAPTATIONS Disperse means to spread out

Wind Water – floating By animals – eaten & then pooped out By animals – hitchhiking on fur or feathers Propelled – plant shoots seed out

Plant Adaptations Protection – thorns, bad taste, poison, coloration, spikes Waxy Coating – helps prevent water loss and freezing Leaves – allow plants to store water, conserve water, absorb more sunlight

Leaves All plants undergo photosynthesis and make glucose (sugar) in their leaves. The larger the leaves, the more sunlight they can capture!!

Reproduction Some plants are brightly colored and have a good smell to attract insects & birds – helps with pollination

PLANT BEHAVIORS Plants not only have structural adaptations; they have behaviors that help them to survive in their environment. Tropism: movement of a plant in response to an environmental stimulus. Toward = positive Away = negative

Plant Tropisms Plants respond to light, touch, gravity, and seasonal change. Phototropism: the tendency of a plant to move toward light. Auxins build up on the shaded side of the plant, causing it to bend. Thigmotropism: response to touch. Ferns shrivel, vines grow tendrils, venus fly trap closes, etc. Gravitropism: roots grow down, stem grows up, in response to gravitational pull. Photoperiodism: a response to change in day length. Blooming, dropping leaves, etc.

Tropisms Phototropism  turning toward or away from light http://plantsinmotion.bio.indiana.edu/plantmotion/movements/tr opism/tropisms.html Thigmotropism  response to touch https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_SIJ4ov_FxA https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BLTcVNyOhUc Gravitropism  roots grow down, stems grow up in response to gravity https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mYZXax8V_L0 Tropisms

Photoperiodism Photoperiodism is a response to the changing lengths of day and night. triggers some plants to flower triggers fall colors & winter dormancy (leaves falling off) of deciduous trees

PLANT BEHAVIORAL ADAPTATIONS DORMANCY – Period of time when an organism’s growth and physical activity is stopped. Many plants go dormant in the winter. Fall is the time of year when plants are preparing for dormancy. What other types of plants go dormant in the winter? Why do trees loose their leaves in the fall?

Plant Hormones! Gibberellins: hormone that causes a dramatic increase in size – important for young plants. Ethylene: causes ripening in fruits. Cytokinins: stimulates cell division. Auxins: lengthens a plant.