Plants

Teacher Michael Naputi

Topics
Vocabulary

Transport Systems in Plants

Photosynthesis

Growth and Reproduction

Stimuli and Response in Plants

Vocabulary
Vascular - plants that have tubes to transport substances

Nonvascular - plants that use osmosis to transport substances

Transport - to move from one place to another

Transpiration - water evaporation from plants

Photosynthesis - converting sunlight into energy

Pollination - pollen being carried between plants

Fertilization - the joining of male and female plant cells

 Plants
Make the world green
Plants
Plants are a very large group of living things on planet Earth. Plants are necessary
for important things such as:

Oxygen - photosynthesis produces oxygen

Ecosystems - many organisms use plants for homes

Food sources - fruit and other things are food for other organisms

Medicines - some plants can be used to treat sickness

And more
Transport Systems
There are 2 types of plants that are divided by the way they get water and
minerals from their environment: vascular and nonvascular

Vascular plants: use tubes to transport water and minerals throughout the plant

Nonvascular plants: get water and minerals through osmosis

Vascular Plants - Tissue
Vascular plants use different types of tubes to transport water and nutrients
throughout the plant.

Xylem tubes: move water and

nutrients from the roots to the leaves.

Phloem tubes: move nutrients from

the leaves to the rest of the plant.
Vascular Plants - Transport
Transport starts when the roots of a plant absorb
water and nutrients from the soil by osmosis. The
water and nutrients then move up the stem to the
leaves.

Transpiration happens at the leaves. Stomata,

small openings in the plant, allow water to
evaporate. As the water evaporates, more water
enters through the roots.
Nonvascular Plants
Nonvascular plants do not have special tissue, like xylem and phloem, to transport
water and nutrients.

Mosses and algae must get their water and nutrients through osmosis from the
surrounding environment. These plants have thin cell walls to allow for this.
Photosynthesis
Converting sunlight to energy
Photosynthesis
Photosynthesis is a process in plants that converts sunlight and other substances
into energy for the plant.

Organisms that make their own food are called producers.

Photosynthesis - Process
The photosynthesis process starts when chlorophyll, found in chloroplasts, gets
energy from sunlight.

This energy breaks water into

oxygen gas and hydrogen.

Carbon dioxide combines

with hydrogen to make
glucose.
Glucose
Glucose is a simple sugar. Glucose is transported to other cells in the plant where
it is used for different things:

Food - energy for the cells

Complex sugars and starch - for storage

to be used later

Cellulose - to help plants grow

And more...
 Growth and
Reproduction
Reproducing new plants
Asexual Reproduction
Some plants do not need male and female cells to reproduce.

These plants only need one parent and the offspring are exactly the same as that
parent.

Examples: moss, algae, banana, sugarcane

Sexual Reproduction
Many plants rely on reproductive cells, male and female cells, to create offspring.

The offspring will contain genetic material from the male and the female parents.

Flowering plants undergo sexual reproduction.

Flowering Plants
Flowering plants reproduce by making seeds.

Flowers contain male and female parts needed to reproduce.

Stamen are the male parts of the flower

Carpel are the female parts of the flower

Pollination occurs when pollen from one plant is carried to another. Many flowers
are attractive to insects and birds so they can help with pollination.
Flower Structure
Fertilization happens when pollen meets with a
female egg cell.

After this, the petals will fall away and a seed begins
to grow and the ovary turns into a fruit.

Embryos inside the seed of the fruit have small

leaves and food for energy when the seed is ready
to grow into a new plant.
 Stimuli and
Responses
How plants respond to their
environment
Stimuli
Plants, like any other organism, will respond to different stimuli in the surrounding
environment such as:

● Gravity
● Water
● Soil
● Light
● Touch
Tropisms
The way that a plant responds to these stimuli is called a tropism.

Positive tropisms mean that the plant will grow towards the stimulus.

Negative tropisms mean that the plant will grow away from the stimulus.

Phototropism means that light is the stimulus

Leaves and stems will grow towards the light

Roots will grow away from the light