Unit B Lesson B7 Plant Adaptations
Completion requirements
Lesson B7: Plant Adaptations
Video Lesson
Plants in various environments have special features called adaptations that help them survive. Watch the video below to learn about some types of plant adaptations.
Lesson B7: Plant Adaptations
Figure B.2.7.1 – Bean plant stems curl around poles as they grow.
Figure B.2.7.2 – Pea plants have tendrils that curl around poles or wires.
Climbing Plants
Jack and the Beanstalk is a children’s fairy tale. In the story, a boy named Jack buys a magic bean that grows overnight into a tall thick beanstalk.
Although bean plants do not grow as thick or high as trees do, they can grow tall very quickly. Bean stems have the adaptation of being able to curl around supporting objects. The ability to coil around sticks or wires gives support to thin bean stems as they climb upward to get more sunlight.
Other climbing plants such as peas have tendrils as a climbing adaptation. Tendrils are thin stems that branch from the main plant stem. Tendrils wave around in the air, looking for a place to attach. If a tendril touches a wire or branch, it coils tightly around the supporting object.
Ivy is a plant that climbs up trees and buildings to obtain more sunlight. Ivy stems have the adaptation of growing new roots with little hooks that attach to surfaces.
Jack and the Beanstalk is a children’s fairy tale. In the story, a boy named Jack buys a magic bean that grows overnight into a tall thick beanstalk.
Although bean plants do not grow as thick or high as trees do, they can grow tall very quickly. Bean stems have the adaptation of being able to curl around supporting objects. The ability to coil around sticks or wires gives support to thin bean stems as they climb upward to get more sunlight.
Other climbing plants such as peas have tendrils as a climbing adaptation. Tendrils are thin stems that branch from the main plant stem. Tendrils wave around in the air, looking for a place to attach. If a tendril touches a wire or branch, it coils tightly around the supporting object.
Ivy is a plant that climbs up trees and buildings to obtain more sunlight. Ivy stems have the adaptation of growing new roots with little hooks that attach to surfaces.
Figure B.2.7.3 – Ivy vines can climb up buildings.
Reading and Materials for This Lesson
Science in Action 7
Materials:
Science in Action 7
Reading: Pages 116–120
Materials:
2 pine cones, wide glass jar, water
Watch More
Climbing Plants
Watch this time lapsed video to see how climbing plants in a tropical forest wrap around supporting stems.
Watch this time lapsed video to see how climbing plants in a tropical forest wrap around supporting stems.
Figure B.2.7.4 – Poison ivy leaves are found in groups of three. Avoid them!
Figure B.2.7.5 – Hemlock is extremely poisonous and should never be eaten.
Poisonous Plants
Some plants are poisonous to humans and other animals. Plants are eaten easily by insects and animals because plants cannot move to other locations. Poisonous or harmful structures prevent animals and insects from eating certain plants. The poison adaptation allows the plant species to survive and reproduce.
A few plants are extremely poisonous when people or animals eat them. Poison hemlock is a shrub in southern parts of Canada. A small amount of poison hemlock is fatal. Never eat wild plants unless you are 100% sure of what they are!
Lilies are beautiful flowers, but they are very toxic to cats. If you have kittens or cats as pets, you should keep them away from lily plants.
Some plants are poisonous to humans and other animals. Plants are eaten easily by insects and animals because plants cannot move to other locations. Poisonous or harmful structures prevent animals and insects from eating certain plants. The poison adaptation allows the plant species to survive and reproduce.
A few plants are extremely poisonous when people or animals eat them. Poison hemlock is a shrub in southern parts of Canada. A small amount of poison hemlock is fatal. Never eat wild plants unless you are 100% sure of what they are!
Lilies are beautiful flowers, but they are very toxic to cats. If you have kittens or cats as pets, you should keep them away from lily plants.
Figure B.2.7.6 – Lily of the valley flowers are very small and grow wild in forests.
Tiny lily of the valley flowers have a beautiful scent, and they grow in shady places. However, they are poisonous to both humans and animals. Eating lily of the valley causes vomiting and skin rashes and it may affect a person’s heartbeat.
Some plants are contain toxic substances but are not deadly to animals or humans. For example, peach pits (seeds) contain cyanide, a poisonous chemical. The amount of cyanide in one peach seed is not enough to hurt a person, and most people don’t eat hard peach pits! Cyanide is found also in apple, apricot, and plum pits. Cyanide in fruit pits is an adaptation to prevent insects and small animals from eating the plant.
Poison ivy is an irritating plant. If you touch poison ivy, it causes an itchy red rash and blistering. When you are in the woods, remember the saying to help you recognize poison ivy: “Leaves of three, let them be.”
Some plants are contain toxic substances but are not deadly to animals or humans. For example, peach pits (seeds) contain cyanide, a poisonous chemical. The amount of cyanide in one peach seed is not enough to hurt a person, and most people don’t eat hard peach pits! Cyanide is found also in apple, apricot, and plum pits. Cyanide in fruit pits is an adaptation to prevent insects and small animals from eating the plant.
Poison ivy is an irritating plant. If you touch poison ivy, it causes an itchy red rash and blistering. When you are in the woods, remember the saying to help you recognize poison ivy: “Leaves of three, let them be.”
Figure B.2.7.7 – Lily flowers are beautiful, but they are poisonous to cats.
Figure B.2.7.8 – Peach pits contain small amounts of a poisonous chemical.
Watch More
Poison Ivy
Why does poison ivy cause itch? Watch this video to learn about it.
Why does poison ivy cause itch? Watch this video to learn about it.
How do you recognize poison ivy and treat the rash if you touch it accidentally? Learn more in this video.
Connections
Figure B.2.7.9 – Tobacco plants are farmed in central Canada.
Figure B.2.7.10 – Tobacco leaves are dried after they are harvested.
Connections: Health and Wellness
>> Tobacco
Tobacco is a plant that is native to North and South America. First Nations people burned, smoked, or offered tobacco in ceremonies. In addition, they used tobacco as a painkiller medicine. Today, tobacco plants are grown for burning as cigarettes, as cigars, and in pipes. Tobacco farmers grow, dry, and crumble tobacco leaves.
Tobacco plants contains a substance called nicotine, which is poisonous to insects and small animals. Nicotine is an adaptation that prevents herbivores from eating tobacco plants. However, nicotine is a very addictive chemical for humans. People who have the habit of smoking tobacco have difficulty quitting.
Tobacco smoke contains substances called carcinogens, which are chemicals that cause cancer. Other harmful chemicals are added to cigarettes to assist the tobacco to keep burning longer. Not starting to smoke tobacco is a good choice because it damages your health. Tobacco was one a major crop in southern Ontario, for example, but decreased demand today means that land is used to produce other crops such as vegetables and grains.
>> Tobacco
Tobacco is a plant that is native to North and South America. First Nations people burned, smoked, or offered tobacco in ceremonies. In addition, they used tobacco as a painkiller medicine. Today, tobacco plants are grown for burning as cigarettes, as cigars, and in pipes. Tobacco farmers grow, dry, and crumble tobacco leaves.
Tobacco plants contains a substance called nicotine, which is poisonous to insects and small animals. Nicotine is an adaptation that prevents herbivores from eating tobacco plants. However, nicotine is a very addictive chemical for humans. People who have the habit of smoking tobacco have difficulty quitting.
Tobacco smoke contains substances called carcinogens, which are chemicals that cause cancer. Other harmful chemicals are added to cigarettes to assist the tobacco to keep burning longer. Not starting to smoke tobacco is a good choice because it damages your health. Tobacco was one a major crop in southern Ontario, for example, but decreased demand today means that land is used to produce other crops such as vegetables and grains.
Figure B.2.7.11 – Crumbled dried tobacco leaves are rolled into cigarettes.
Figure B.2.7.12 – Crumbled dried tobacco leaves are smoked in pipes.
Figure B.2.7.13 – Aspen tree bark contains a chemical similar to aspirin medicine.
Figure B.2.7.14 – The thyme herb has a strong scent and flavour.
Medicinal Plants
Some plants contain chemicals that help defend the plant from disease-causing bacteria. These plant chemicals also can be helpful for humans. Aboriginal people around the world have traditional knowledge of the medicinal uses of certain plants. For example,
First Nations people in Canada used the bark from trembling aspen and willow trees to make a medicine for headaches and toothaches. The chemical in the tree bark is the same chemical that is used to make aspirin painkiller pills today.
Thyme (pronounced “time”) is a strong-smelling herb that people use in cooking. The chemicals in thyme oil protect the thyme plant from harmful bacteria. Before modern antibiotics were developed, people used oil from thyme leaves as an antiseptic to reduce bacteria in wounds.
Protecting natural forests and environments is important so that helpful plant species survive and thrive. Scientists are still discovering new substances in plants that can heal diseases such as cancer. Much is lost when plants (or animals) become extinct.
Thyme (pronounced “time”) is a strong-smelling herb that people use in cooking. The chemicals in thyme oil protect the thyme plant from harmful bacteria. Before modern antibiotics were developed, people used oil from thyme leaves as an antiseptic to reduce bacteria in wounds.
Protecting natural forests and environments is important so that helpful plant species survive and thrive. Scientists are still discovering new substances in plants that can heal diseases such as cancer. Much is lost when plants (or animals) become extinct.
Figure B.2.7.15 – People take aspirin to treat headaches and minor body pain.
Watch More
Medicinal Plants
Watch this video to learn about some more types of medicinal plants.
Watch this video to learn about some more types of medicinal plants.
Understanding plants can help people survive in the wild. Watch this video to learn about some helpful survival plants.
Tonic Water
Malaria is a disease spread by mosquitoes in tropical areas of the world. Malaria causes symptoms similar to the flu, such as high fevers and shivering chills.
The cinchona tree grows in the South American countries of Peru, Ecuador, and Bolivia. Indigenous people in these areas discovered that eating the powdered bark of the cinchona tree helped stop shivering from fevers caused by malaria. The bark contains a substance called quinine, which prevents and treats malaria.
Quinine tastes bitter, so people started mixing it with fizzy soda water and sugar in the 1800s. They called this mixture tonic water. Although quinine is not used to treat malaria anymore, tonic water is still available in grocery stores.
Malaria is a disease spread by mosquitoes in tropical areas of the world. Malaria causes symptoms similar to the flu, such as high fevers and shivering chills.
The cinchona tree grows in the South American countries of Peru, Ecuador, and Bolivia. Indigenous people in these areas discovered that eating the powdered bark of the cinchona tree helped stop shivering from fevers caused by malaria. The bark contains a substance called quinine, which prevents and treats malaria.
Quinine tastes bitter, so people started mixing it with fizzy soda water and sugar in the 1800s. They called this mixture tonic water. Although quinine is not used to treat malaria anymore, tonic water is still available in grocery stores.
Figure B.2.7.16 – The disease malaria is spread by mosquitoes.
Figure B.2.7.17 – Quinine in the tonic water glows under UV light.
Watch More
Malaria
This video explains more about the cause of malaria and how it has been treated with both plants and human-made drugs.
This video explains more about the cause of malaria and how it has been treated with both plants and human-made drugs.
Harmful and Helpful Plants
Some plants that are harmful can also be helpful, depending on the form of the plant.
Some plants that are harmful can also be helpful, depending on the form of the plant.
Stinging nettle is a weed all over the world. It has little hairs that act as needles. When you touch stinging nettle, the tiny hairs release an irritating chemical onto your skin, causing a painful rash. This defense mechanism prevents insects and animals from eating the plant.
However, when stinging nettles are cooked or boiled to make tea, the sting disappears. People eat cooked stinging nettles because they contain lots of Vitamin A and C.
Poppy plants contain a substance called opium, which is a very addictive drug. However, poppies can be used to make morphine and codeine medicines. Morphine is a medicine that relieves severe pain. Codeine is added to cough medicines because it helps stop harsh, painful coughing.
Figure B.2.7.18 – Stinging nettle causes a painful rash after you touch it.
Figure B.2.7.19 – Cooked stinging nettle leaves contain lots of nutrients.
Figure B.2.7.20 – Poppies contain both addictive substances and painkiller medicines.
Watch More
Harmful and Helpful Plants
Watch this video to discover a few more examples of plants that are both harmful and helpful.
Watch this video to discover a few more examples of plants that are both harmful and helpful.
Pinecone Adaptation
Forest fires are threats to human settlements, but at the same time, forest fires are very good for plants. Forest fires get rid of old dead plants so healthy new plants can get enough sunlight to grow.
Some coniferous trees have a special adaptation to make new seeds grow quickly after forest fires. Pinecones need heat to open. The pinecones stay closed until a forest fire occurs. The intense heat from the fire opens the pine cones, allowing the seeds to spread after the fire. This pinecone adaptation helps pine tree species to survive and reproduce quickly.
Figure B.2.7.21 – Forest fires clear old plants and help new plants to grow.
Figure B.2.7.22 – New plants and trees grow quickly after a forest fire.
Figure B.2.7.23 – The heat of a forest fire causes pinecones to open, releasing seeds needed to regrow the forest.
Try It!
Pinecone Adaptation
Try this simple experiment to observe another adaptation in pinecones.
Materials:
- 2 dry pinecones
- wide glass jar
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water
Instructions:
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Put one pine cone into a glass jar.
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Place enough water in the glass jar to cover the pinecone.
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Let the pinecone sit in water overnight.
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Observe the wet and dry pine cones. What do you notice?
Questions:
Think about the following questions very carefully. Then, type or write your answers. After you have your answers, click the questions for feedback.
Think about the following questions very carefully. Then, type or write your answers. After you have your answers, click the questions for feedback.
Pinecones close when they are wet. This keeps the pine tree seeds protected inside the pinecone. It is good for the seeds to be protected in wet weather because wet seeds will not spread far from the tree. It is better for pine seeds to move far away
where there is lots of space and nutrients for them to grow into tall trees.
Pinecones open when it is dry. This allows the seeds to be spread by wind far from the original tree.
Make sure you have understood everything in this lesson. Use the Self-Check below, and the Self-Check & Lesson Review Tips to guide your learning.
Unit B Lesson 7 Self-Check
Instructions
Complete the following 6 steps.
Don't skip steps – if you do them in order, you will confirm your
understanding of this lesson and create a study bank for the future.
- DOWNLOAD the self-check quiz by clicking here.
- ANSWER all the questions on the downloaded quiz in the spaces provided. Think carefully before typing your answers. Review this lesson if you need to. Save your quiz when you are done.
- COMPARE your answers with the suggested "Self-Check Quiz Answers" below. WAIT! You didn't skip step 2, did you? It's very important to carefully write out your own answers before checking the suggested answers.
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REVISE your quiz answers if you need to. If you answered all the questions correctly, you can skip this step. Revise means to change, fix, and add extra notes if you need to. This quiz is NOT FOR MARKS, so it is perfectly OK to correct
any mistakes you made. This will make your self-check quiz an excellent study tool you can use later.
- SAVE your quiz to a folder on your computer, or to your Private Files. That way you will know where it is for later studying.
- CHECK with your teacher if you need to. If after completing all these steps you are still not sure about the questions or your answers, you should ask for more feedback from your teacher. To do this, post in the Course Questions Forum, or send your teacher an email. In either case, attach your completed quiz and ask; "Can you look at this quiz and give me some feedback please?" They will be happy to help you!
Self-Check Time!
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Self-Check Quiz Answers
Click each of the suggested answers below, and carefully compare your answers to the suggested answers.
If you have not done the quiz yet – STOP – and go back to step 1 above. Do not look at the answers without first trying the questions.
A drip tip helps to funnel water from leaves. Removing water from leaves in very rainy areas helps keep leaves dry. This prevents harmful fungi and bacteria from growing on the leaf surfaces.
Flexibility allows plants in moving water to sway without breaking. Underwater plants do not need as much support as land plants do because the weight of the water helps the plant leaves to float.
When sticky burrs attach to an animal, the seeds inside the burrs are carried by the animal far from the original plant. Spreading the plant seed allows more plants to grow with lots of space and nutrients.
The prairies can still be cold during early spring. The tiny hairs act as a coat for the flower. The hairs insulate the flower’s reproductive parts (where seeds develop) from cold winds.
Deep taproots help acacia trees in a very dry climate where the upper layers of ground have very little water. A deep taproot reaches water stored deep in the ground, allowing the acacia tree to survive in times of drought.