The Growth of Plants

By: Heather Jo Reynolds

The Growth of Plants

Plants are photosynthetic, which means they gather their food energy directly from sunlight.

This process is known as photosynthesis.

In order for plants to complete photosynthesis, they need to have a supply of:

-Sunlight -Carbon dioxide -Water -Mineral nutrients from the dirt

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• During photosynthesis, plants release oxygen for us to breath.

They also use a slight intake of oxygen at night for parts of the plant that do not perform photosynthesis, such as the roots.

The structure of a plant is adapted to gathering the things that the plant needs as it grows.

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Plants start as a seed given off by the previous generation plant.

Then two parts come out of the seed called cotyledon.- The first part is the beginning of it’s root system.- The second is the start of the seedling pushing toward the surface.

Once it reaches the surface, leaves sprout and the stem is formed as well as other specialties the genetic make up has enabling it to produce things such as vegetables, fruit, or flowers.

The root system will continue outward to follow the source of water.

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Special Structures Some parts of plantsare greatly modified, andthese may look very differentfrom the "typical“ plants weare use to. However they areall adaptations to help theplant better survive in theirenvironment. For example:

- Cactus spines are leaves, modified to protect the plant.

- Potatoes, radishes, and carrots are roots, modified for storage.

- Tropical plants tend to have large wax-like leaves to help the water run off in monsoon seasons.

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Structures that look the same to us may be used in different ways. For example:spines, thorns, and prickles are all sharp plant parts that protect the plant and/or it’s seed from plant eating animals.

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Plants can reproduce within it’s self known as, asexual reproduction.

• It is very easy to clone plants, and many plants can grow from cuttings or broken plant parts.

• Flowers have special reproductive structures found in the center of the flower.

Pollen is formed from within the flower and travels up the style coming out the stigma.

With the help of bees and wind the pollen gets knocked off and on to the anther which carries the pollen down it’s filament tube. It is

carried to the core of the flower where it evolves into a seed.

The seed is released either when the plant dyes and deteriorates into the ground or by the

petals falling off and bring the seed with it.

Diagram

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Plant video

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Plants do one of two things. They either go dormant until the weather permits or decompose.

When decomposing, they become part of the soil and break down into it’s separate chemical components . These components when layered upon layers of it’s self compress over time to form the products we know as coal and oil.

It takes hundreds of thousands of years to get to this state of being a natural resource and is becoming quickly depleted as we consume the product faster then is made.

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