Functions of Plant Parts:

Functions of Plant Parts:

An introduction to our exciting exploration of botany

Presented by: Miss Herman

An introduction to our exciting exploration of botany

Presented by: Miss Herman

Lesson Objectives:

* Be able to explain the importance and function of the following plant parts:

• stem • roots • leaf • fruit • flower

Roots:

» Take up oxygen during respiration

» Absorb and translocate water and nutrients to the stem that are taken up through the root hairs

» Store food in the form of starch

More roots…..

» Anchor the plant and keep it in a stable position

» Give off carbon dioxide during respiration

» In some plants, roots have nodules which contain nitrogen fixing bacteria (like legumes)

TIME OUTLet’s get our hand dirty!

Remove the top two inches of the carrot, which is the cell foliage, and put it in a cup of water in the back of the classroom. We will check the carrot cuttings periodically and record what happens.

The leaf:

» Photosynthesis is the process by which plants produce their food….and photosynthesis takes place in the leaves.

»Carries out transpiration and cools the plant.

Don’t ‘leaf’ us out….

» Can store some food, which can be transferred to other areas of the plant

» In some cases, the leaf can be used in asexual or vegatative propagation

Time outLet’s get our hands dirty

Place a piece of opaque paper over a part of a leaf surface and a paper clip it to the leaf given to you. What happens to the color of that portion of leaf surface? Why?

The stem:

» Serves to translocate nutrients from the roots to the leaves in the vessels of the XYLEM and PHLOEM.

This is a cross section of a celery stalk, showing the vascular bundles, including the xylem and phloem.

More on stems…

» Supports the leaves of a plant and also the fruit and flowers

» Provides growth in the ‘MERISTEM” of the terminal bud

a) The meristem is where cell division occurs

Almost done with stems…

» Often can be used for vegetative propagation

» The CAMBIUM layer provides diameter growth in the stem.

Time outLet’s get our hand dirty

Cut out the eye of a potato with some potato meat attached. Plant in our sterile growing media in the back of the classroom with the eye pointing up. We will observe and record what happens with these eyes in the next couple weeks.

Fabulous fruit functions:

» The fruit is a ripened ovule together with its associated parts, and often protects the seed.

» Some plants have a dry dehiscent fruit which, when split open helps disseminate seeds.

a) some actually hurl the seeds out as the seed surface explodes

b) others have wings, or other ways to float or be carried by air

Can always use more fruit…

» Can provide nutrients to the soil and to a newly germinating seedling

» Some fruits help disseminate seed by providing food for animals:

a) animals eat the fruit and seeds. The fruit is digested and the seeds pass out in the animals’ feces at (presumably) another location.

Like this nice Big buck

Flower power:

» The flower is of utmost importance in reproduction and continuance of the species.

» Pollination of the flower serves to instigate the fertilization of the ovules

a) this produces a ‘zygote’ which becomes the seed

Flowers continued….

» Because flowers are often colorful and fragrant, it attracts insects and birds for pollination

a) It can be said that the flower is often a biotic partner with he animals which obtain food from the flowers and in exchange help fertilize it (by bringing in pollen).

Are we done yet?

» The flower can also be an animal trap, such as the Venus Fly Trap and the pitcher plant. Once the insect is trapped, it is digested (dissolved

by the plant for food.Venus Pitcher Fly Plant

Trap

Time outLet’s test our knowledge?

Please take out a piece of paper

and write down 5 new things you learned from today’s lesson on the functions of basic plant parts.