Plants & PeopleHow we all connect together …

People & Plants How do humans use plants?

Food Fibre (building materials) Medicines

Plants are vital to our survival!

Plants & Ecosystems We know for humans … but for the

environment?

Plants filter our air (Breath in what we breath out)

Plants help filter our water (Clean up dirty water)

Plants help keep soil in place(Roots hold earth together)

Plants & Food Mind – blowing fact …

75% of the world’s food supply is based on seven major crops …

- wheat - rice - corn - sorghum

- potatoes - barley - cassava

Plants & Fibre While many things are manufactured …

we still use 3 natural fibres!

- Cotton - Hemp

- Flax

Cotton (Currently) The

world’s mostimportant non-edible plant!

Their structure (strong, flexible, gradual spiral) makes them extremely versatile!

Hemp Oldest cultivated

plant in the world!

Less negative effect than other fibres

Hemp Factoids! Hemp paper lasts longer than wood pulp paper Ready for harvest in 1 year First Bible printed on hemp paper Nothing eats it so no pesticides required!

Flax Grows in nothern,

cooler regions Fibres in stems is 2 to

3x stronger than cotton

Used in a variety of different process (oil paints and varnish)

Plants & Medicines Before over the counter medicine

existed people used the plants around them Ginger = upset stomach Bark of white willow = pain killer

How Aspeirin was developed

Hundreds of examples exists like Morphine, Codeine, etc …

Plants & Transportation Rubber (latex) changed our world Comes from Brazilian Rubber Tree

(Only source in the world) Synthetic exists but not as good

Plants & Fuel Wood burned for fuel Old plants provide fuel

Died Buried Compressed Structural / Chemical Changes Became Coal Burn Coal for Fuel

Plant Life – Roots Plants are like icebergs, they work like this

…

Plant Life – Roots What do they do?

Absorb minerals / water Anchor / support plant Store food

Root Crops• You eat root vegetables

you are eating a root!

• WHOA!

Diffusion & Osmosis Diffusion is key for plant roots

Moving and distributing evenly from areas of higher concentrations to lower concentration

Diffusion & Osmosis Diffusion is key for plant roots

Moving and distributing evenly from areas of higher concentrations to lower concentration

Osmosis Diffusion of water through a

differentially permeable membrane (Like a mesh bag with sand and marbles

… the sand can go through but not the marbles)

Cells in roots are differentially permeable (Allow some things such as water &

nutrients and hold the rest out)

Stems Refer to page 108 in your text book.

I would know that diagram of a tree trunk and the layers *hint*

Stems Cont … Support

They provide support for leaves so they get enough sunlight to make food

Some are tiny (few mm) and some are huge (100+m long)

Stems Cont … Food Storage

They store food produced by the leaves

Underground vegetables (i.e.: potatoe) have tubers which store food in the form of starch for the potatoes to use

Factoid! The barrel cactus does this so well it can

last a year without water

Leaves Leaves turn green due to chlorophyll Leaves use the sun to make food turning

the light into chemical energy

But how…?

They need to ingredients Water Carbon Dioxide

Leaves Cont … Water + Cardon Dioxide = Sugar This is the plants energy storing

chemical

The process is known as photosynthesis!

Video Explanation!

Stoma/Stomata Open during day Close at night Carbon Dioxide

enters and goes intochloroplasts

Reaction occurs thatproduces sugar andoxygen

Leaves Cont … The sugar feeds the plant The oxygen is released Plant need oxygen too!

At night, when no sunlight is around, plants release CO2 and absorb Oxygen

This is done through guard cells (via osmosis Swell with water = open & release of CO2 & water

vapour Lose water = closed This is transperation (i.e.: how water moves up)

Simple Video

Moving Water

Roots are pulling water in and it is going up via root hairs and osmosis

Leaves are pulling water from xylem as well

Powerful stuff!