Introduction to Plants and Plant Science (The DIRT Society)

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When you think of efficient, useful and advanced technology...

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When you think of efficient, useful and advanced technology...

What comes to mind?

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Was it this?

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Solanum lycopersicumA Common Tomato

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Consider...

The iPhone was first released in 2007, and Apple has been perfecting the technology ever since.

Scientists have been trying to understand the mechanical genius of basic plants for centuries.

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Consider...

The iPhone was first released in 2007, and Apple has been perfecting the technology ever since.

Scientists have been trying to understand the mechanical genius of basic plants for centuries.

It seems as if, for every puzzle we solve, a dozen

more questions arise.

And while we take thousands of years to try and understand their most basic functions, plants are busy developing new systems and methods of survival without the help of engineers or technicians.

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They evolve quickly, and in many different ways. The plants you are most familiar with make up a tiny portion of plant life on earth. Of those, the plants you rely on for food are

an even tinier fraction.

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They evolve quickly, and in many different ways. The plants you are most familiar with make up a tiny portion of plant life on earth. Of those, the plants you rely on for food are

an even tinier fraction.

Put it into perspective this way: Out of 50,000 edible plants on earth, about 60% of your diet is made up of... 3. If you’re missing out on

49,997 possible vegetable dishes, how familiar with plants are you, really? They are everywhere, taking many shapes and developing

new functions and systems with every generation.

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For every possible environment on earth, plants have adapted and developed in

such a way that they can survive. In the water or on land, you’ll find a huge variety

of successful plants.

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That’s a lot to study...

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So, what we’re trying to say is..

Despite all of humanity’s awesome achievements, plants are developing more quickly and efficiently than we seem

able to do.

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Granted, humankind has the power to destroy plant life; a power which, unfortunately, we use

and abuse.

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And yet, without plants, every human on earth

would be dead.

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So let’s unlock some of the mysteries of the plant body: Because if you want to work with the world’s most impressive technology, you’ll

want to begin with plants.

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Here are the words you need to know before we continue:

Basic Anatomy

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Root

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Stem

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Leaf

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Blossom

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Blossom

Fruit

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Blossom

Fruit

Seed

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Pretty simple so far, right?

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Root

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Root

Anchors plant to ground.

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Root


Absorbs water and minerals from soil.

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Root


Absorbs water and minerals from soil.

Nutrient (food) storage.

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Stem

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Stem

Stable center body supports heavy leaves, fruits and branches.

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Stem


Moves leaves upwards and outwards to find sunlight.

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Stem


Moves leaves upwards and outwards to find sunlight.

Houses a network of channels that move nutrients up and down to all

parts of the body.

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Leaf

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Leaf

Creates food using sunlight.

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Leaf


Bends, folds and moves depending upon weather and light.

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Leaf



Location of respiration (breathing) in plant.

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Leaf



Location of respiration (breathing) in plant.

Communicates with other organisms.

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Blossom

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Blossom

The reproductive organs of sexual plants.

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Blossom


The site of fertilization.

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Blossom



House sex cells, called “gametes.”

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Blossom



House sex cells, called “gametes.” Can develop into

fruits and seeds.

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Fruit

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Fruit

Protects seeds using soft, fleshy walls and tissue.

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Fruit

Protects seeds using soft, fleshy walls and tissue.

May attract consumers.

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Seed

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Seed

Protective enclosures.

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Seed

Protective enclosures.

Contain all of the genetic material (and

food) needed to begin growing

another independent plant.

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Back up. Plants breathe?

Absolutely. Plants “exhale” both oxygen and water. But when?

And why?

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1. Plants throw away their garbage! The result of food production is an excess of molecules like hydrogen and oxygen that must be released.

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2. By releasing moisture, plants cool themselves off. This is similar to sweating in animals.

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2. By releasing moisture, plants cool themselves off. This is similar to sweating in animals.

3. This release creates a pull, or vacuum, which forces the roots to absorb more moisture.

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Thus, the hotter the plant, the more it

“sweats” and hydrates itself.

Plants do, naturally, what people have to remind

themselves to do!

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But even more impressively:

Imagine if, when you feel hungry, all you had to do was go outside and sit in the sunlight. Then, as if by magic, the exact food you crave would appear.

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But even more impressively:

Imagine if, when you feel hungry, all you had to do was go outside and sit in the sunlight. Then, as if by magic, the exact food you crave would appear.

Plants do this. They create their own food whenever they have access to a little light.

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Here’s how:

Photosynthesis is a plant’s way of feeding itself. By using photons, or light energy, a plant can turn otherwise unusable materials

into carbohydrates, or energy storage.

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Here’s how:

Photosynthesis is a plant’s way of feeding itself. By using photons, or light energy, a plant can turn otherwise unusable materials

into carbohydrates, or energy storage.

This process takes place on leaves, generally. The surface reflects back the light it will not use, giving plants colors as

diverse as their light requirements.

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Written out, photosynthesis looks something like this:

CO2 + H2O + Photons = H2O + O2 + Carbohydrates(Carbon dioxide and water, plus a little light, are turned into water, oxygen and sugar.)

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Written out, photosynthesis looks something like this:

CO2 + H2O + Photons = H2O + O2 + Carbohydrates(Carbon dioxide and water, plus a little light, are turned into water, oxygen and sugar.)

That transformation from gas to sugar occurs in the chloroplasts of plant cells, which are highly concentrated in plant leaves.

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But what about Autumn and Winter? Why do some plants lose their leaves, and how can they survive?

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It takes a lot of energy to create and maintain leaves, and a plant’s energy comes from light.

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During certain seasons, less light reaches the earth’s surface. Plants will reduce the amount of energy spent on leaf maintenance because the cost outweighs the gain.

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During certain seasons, less light reaches the earth’s surface. Plants will reduce the amount of energy spent on leaf maintenance because the cost outweighs the gain.

Like hibernating animals, some plants choose to conserve enough energy to survive until food (light) becomes plentiful again. They enter

a dormant state, drop their leaves, and wait.

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And did we say that plants reproduce? Sexually?

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Correct! Some plants reproduce sexually.

The most obvious examples are flowering plants: The blossoms you see are the plant’s sex organs.

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You’ll never look at a bouquet of flowers the same way again!

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The Anatomy of a Flower:

Stigma

Anther

Petal

Ovule

Ovary

Sepal

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Anther

Petal

Ovule

Ovary

Sepal

Receives male gametes (pollen)

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Stigma

Petal

Ovule

Ovary

Sepal

Distributes pollen

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Stigma

Anther

Ovule

Ovary

Sepal

Attracts pollinators

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Stigma

Anther

PetalOvary

Sepal

Cell becomes seed when fertilized

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Stigma

Anther

Petal

Ovule

Ovary

Protects young flower (bud)

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Stigma

Anther

Petal

Ovule

Sepal

Organ becomes fruit if fertilized,

and houses seeds

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Stigma

Anther

Petal

Ovule

Ovary

Sepal

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Another weird plant fact?

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Another weird plant fact?

They excel at employing others to aid them in their dirty work.

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Attracting their work force:Plants use outside means to spread their offspring. In fact,

you’ve probably been involved in many acts of plant reproduction without knowing it.

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• Flowers may use shapes, colors, patterns, and scents to attract insects and animals.

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• These “vectors” then move pollen to the female organs on the same or different plants, allowing them to be fertilized.

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• The fruit and seeds produced are then eaten and excreted by animals after being carried away to a new location.

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• The fruit and seeds produced are then eaten and excreted by animals after being carried away to a new location.

• Vectors may also contribute by harvesting, burying, or carrying plant reproductive materials (as you might by picking flowers, walking on grass, or brushing a seedpod.)

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And it gets even more strange:Plants can communicate with one another.

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Plants can send electrical and chemical signals when threatened or under

attack.

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Scientists are still trying to understand the exact process, but are now confident that plants come equipped with

multiple communication devices, including chemical compounds and small electrical signals.

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Scientists are still trying to understand the exact process, but are now confident that plants come equipped with

multiple communication devices, including chemical compounds and small electrical signals.

So I was thinking about going to the salad bar later... Oh, ha ha Louis.

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So plants “breathe,” create food, self-regulate, hydrate, physically morph to adapt

to changing seasons, reproduce sexually, utilize a work force of animals, and

communicate with each other.

Anything else?

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Even in death, plants are working.When a plant dies, it immediately begins enriching the soil with its decomposing

body. The rotting plant is nutrient rich, and it is broken up by worms, insects, mold, fungi and microorganisms until it is integrated into the soil.

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Even in death, plants are working.When a plant dies, it immediately begins enriching the soil with its decomposing

body. The rotting plant is nutrient rich, and it is broken up by worms, insects, mold, fungi and microorganisms until it is integrated into the soil.

Thus, even in death, a plant is making its environment a better, safer place for future generations.

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Even in death, plants are working.Farmers try to use this process. To enrich their own soil, they will compost plants

and plant products to use as a conditioner between seasons.

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Even in death, plants are working.Farmers try to use this process. To enrich their own soil, they will compost plants

and plant products to use as a conditioner between seasons.

And, if given thousands of years, this decomposed material creates beds of carbon upon which modern human technology is dependent. Unfortunately,

we are using this material more quickly than we are replacing it.

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So consider: How advanced are plants compared to... Humans?

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As seeds, a young plant is ready to sprout with just a little bit of moisture and an adequate temperature. Within the body of a seed, the parent plant has packed food, protection, and an innate sense of direction,

gravity, and survival instincts.

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But when humans are born, they are entirely dependent. Without medical care, clothing, shelter, clean water, nutritious food, basic education, language,

and monitoring... Humans can’t grow into adults. They die as infants.

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Hence the saying: It takes a village to raise a child.

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So, while not every seed will grow into a successful plant, no successful plant in the wild needed “a village” to help it grow.

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And here’s a gruesome thought:

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And here’s a gruesome thought:And here’s a gruesome thought:

We can’t survive without an enormous population of plants. We would burn up in our hot atmosphere, suffocate from lack of oxygen, or die of disease and starvation.

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And here’s a gruesome thought:And here’s a gruesome thought:

We can’t survive without an enormous population of plants. We would burn up in our hot atmosphere, suffocate from lack of oxygen, or die of disease and starvation.

Plants, however “simple” you might find them... Are self-reliant. They don’t need humankind. They’ll continue to grow, adapt, reproduce and flourish.. Even when humans are gone.

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So have a little respect.

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So have a little respect.

And take some time to admire the technological genius...of this.

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You can learn much more at:

www.thedirtsociety.com

http://www.thedirtsociety.com/

Introduction to Plants and Plant Science (The DIRT Society)

Science

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edible plants

plant body

blossom fruit

root anchors plant

independent plant

tiny portion of plant

heavy leaves