PLANTS ARE PRODUCERS• PLANTS CAPTURE ENERGY FROM THE SUN.

– The sun’s heat & light provide the energy almost all organisms need to live.

– Light energy must be changed into chemical energy (the form of energy all organisms use to carry out the functions of life). Plants capture energy from the Sun & convert it to chemical energy (via photosynthesis).

• PLANTS ARE ADAPTED TO DIFFERENT ENVIRONMENTS

• PLANTS RESPOND TO THEIR ENVIRONMENT• PLANTS RESPOND TO SEASONAL CHANGES

PLANTS & SUN• PHOTOSYNTHESIS:

plants use sunlight to make chemical energy(in energy rich sugar molecule)

• Sunlight + 6CO2 +6H2OC6H12O6 + 6O2

• Most photosynthesis occurs in leaf, stem holds it up to sun, and roots anchor in soil and give H20.

• AUTOTROPH= self-feeder; another name for plants

• Algae, some bacteria & some protists also use photosynthesis

• Plants are mulitcellular though & can store more energy than the others

• Starch = energy rich molecule made of sugars plants store energy in.

• Cellular respiration = how cells break down sugars for energy release. (C6H12O6 + 6O2 6CO2 + 6H2O + energy)

• Some plants store starch in roots (carrots/beets) & others in stems (rhubarb)

PLANTS ADAPT TO DIFFERENT ENVIRONMENT

• Almost all land has some type of plants• GRASSES: deep roots, quickly makes seeds, found in

most environments (as longs as roots survive, grass grows back)

• TREES: not survive if leaves/stem die; need lots water; coniferous (needle-leaves stay green) do well in cold, deciduous(lose leaves in cold)need long growing season

• Some plants (desert & snowy mountain) must reproduce quickly while timing is good for them (seeds sprout, flowers grow, & new seeds made within just a few weeks)

PLANTS ADAPT TO ENVIRONMENTS

• Some plants adapt to protect: mustard gives off odor; poison ivy & oak make chemical & tobacco makes nicotine (poison) to keep insects from eating them.

• Venus fly trap has teeth on leaf edges to capture insects & makes digestive fluid to break insect down for important materials not found in local soil

Plants Respond to Environment

• Plants respond to stimuli (change in environment causing a response) to survive & grow.

• Gravity: roots drawn down & stems grow up, even if seedling is on its side.

• Touch: “tendrils” (found in peas, & climbing plants) are special stems that wrap around objects to grow upward to sun

• Light: stems grow towards it; plant releases auxin (plant hormone) at tip of stem. This moves away from light & stimulates cell growth, causing plant to bend towards the sun.

PLANTS RESPOND TO SEASONAL CHANGES

• Shorter time of daylight affects amount of sunlight available for photosynthesis. So plant goes into “dormancy”. Plant stops growing & needs less energy.

PLANTS RESPOND TO SEASONAL CHANGES

• In temperate climates, approach of winter causes leaves of deciduos trees to die & drop to ground.

• In some plants (like trees) they go into dormancy & grow in spring again; in others (like wild cornflowers) they die and only grow back in spring due to seeds left behind.

• Short-day plants (rice/ragweed) only flower in fall or winter; long-day plants (lettuce/spinach) flower only in late spring & summer.