Discover: Plants Have Special Needs

Some groups of plants such as aquatic plants, desert plants, and grassland plants have special needs because of the environment in which they live. You are going to learn about some plants that have special needs and adaptations that they have as a result. Without these adaptations, the species of plant would not survive.

 Notebook: What plants have special needs, and what adaptations do they have to meet those needs?

  1. Click here to download this activity.
  2. Complete the activity using the article provided (in the activity and below).
  3. Check your answers below and save your corrected work to your Plant Notebook.  

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Check Your Answers


Adaptations of Plant Structures  Aquatic Plants  Desert Plants  Grassland Plants
 Leaves
  •  Thin cuticle (because they do not need to be protected from losing water).
  • Some have flat leaves, to help them float on top of the water.
  • Some store water in their leaves.
  • Small spines for leaves limit the water loss for some.
  • Glossy leaves reflect the Sun's hot rays, limiting evaporation.
  • A waxy coating can prevent water loss.
 Not leaves, but a cool note:
  • Some Plants germinate in the fall, this allows them to have water during their early stages of life.
 Roots
  • Smaller roots because water can be taken in anywhere that it touches the plant.
  •  Some store water in their roots.
  • Some have long roots, to reach water far underground.
  • Some roots spread wide, to catch as much water as possible when it does rain.
  •  Have large root systems to absorb water at and below the ground.
  • These large roots also prevent animals from pulling out all of the plant.
 Stem
  •  They do not have a very rigid stem.  The water around them helps support them, so they do not need a stiff stem to take them to the light.
  •  Some store water in their stems
 Not stems, but a cool note:
  • Some plants have seeds that only open after a fire, because fires are so common.
 Three examples of this type of plant:
  •  Duckweed
  • Water Lily
  • Cattail
  •  Cactus
  • Sagebrush
  • Joshua Tree
  •  Stinging Nettle
  • Bluestem Grass
  • Prairie Blazing Star

 Digging Deeper

Do you have a garden, or do you know someone with a garden?  Did you know that certain vegetables have special needs to grow to their fullest potential?  Check this website to see the special needs of growing various vegetables in a garden.

Science Connection

Recent studies have shown that plants may have a chemical “language” that could help scientists understand and meet the needs of plants better. Check the article on this website.