Photosynthesis Plant Unit

Vascular or Nonvascular Why?

What four things do plants need in order to begin photosynthesis?

Photosynthesis  Plant process of synthesizing their own food 1. Plants trap the sun’s light energy and use the energy to break down water into hydrogen and oxygen. 2. Plants take in carbon dioxide and combine with the hydrogen and oxygen to form glucose (sugar).

Chloroplast  The plant organelle where photosynthesis occurs  Chlorophyll within the chloroplast captures the light energy from the sun

Plant Reproduction  Gametes-reproductive cells  Asexual reproduction-plants reproduce without male and female gametes  Sexual reproduction-plants reproduce using male and female gametes

Asexual Reproduction  Many methods  New plant is almost always a clone of the parent plant (genetically identical)  Disadvantage: that mutations can lead to distinction in all clones from the parent plant

Asexual Reproduction  Runners-grow above the ground  Grow stems that branch out along the ground  These stems have places where new roots can grow, starting a whole new plant.  Examples: Strawberries and spider plants

Asexual Reproduction  Stems that grow below the ground are called rhizomes.  Examples: grasses, irises, bamboo, aspen trees

Sexual Reproduction  Development from spore or seed  DNA from the male gamete combines with DNA from the female gamete  New plant is not identical both has aspects of both DNA  Leads to diversity and stronger resistance to diseases

Propagation  Cutting up parts of plants and growing entirely new plants from the parts.  Produces identical offspring  Farmers use to produce identical plants  Can be grown from any plant organ or tissue including buds, roots, stems, and leaves