Transcript PLANT ADAPTATIONS RAIN FORESTS • Tropical rain forests are dense, which is why leaves have adapted to try to capture as much light as.

PLANT
ADAPTATIONS
RAIN FORESTS
• Tropical rain forests are dense, which is why leaves have
adapted to try to capture as much light as possible.
• Leaves in the dark understory of the
rain forest are large so they can
absorb as much light as possible.
Some leaves are able to turn as the
sun moves.
• The amount of water a plant catches
is also controlled by leaf adaptations.
• Some leaves have drip tips and a
waxy surface to allow water to run
off. This stops the growth of bacteria
and fungi.
RAIN FORESTS
• Many bromeliads and epiphytes
have a central reservoir to collect
water, instead of collecting it in roots. This way the
water is quickly absorbed through
hairs on leaves.
• Many plants have dry tips and
grooved leaves.
• Some leaves have an oily coating to
shed water.
• Leaves in the upper canopy are
dark green, small, and leathery to
reduce water loss in the strong
sunlight.
DESERTS
• Most desert plants have small leaves or no leaves at
all.
• The smaller or fewer leaves a plant has, the less H2O
is lost during transpiration since it has less surface
area exposed to the sun and wind.
• For desert plants with small leaves or none at all, the
twigs and stems help to carry out photosynthesis.
• Plants that grow in the dessert
usually will have long root systems
that will either spread out wide or
go deep into the ground to absorb
water.
DESSERTS
• Plants, like the cactus, will grow spines
to discourage animals from eating
them for their water that they store.
• Some dessert plants have no leaves or
small seasonal leaves that grow only
after it rains.
• The leaves that do grow will have a
wax coating to help reduce water loss.
• Some dessert plants will grow leaves
with hair to help shade the plant to
reduce water loss.
DECIDUOUS FOREST
• Tree vegetation composed primarily
of broad-leaved trees that shed all
their leaves during one season.
• In the summer, the trees have broad
thick leaves to absorb sunlight and
go through photosynthesis.
• During the winter and fall, the
leaves have to fall to minimize
water loss.
DECIDUOUS FOREST
• Wildflowers grow on the forest
floor early in the spring before
trees leaf-out and shade the
forest floor.
• Trees have thick bark to protect
against cold winters.
• Many trees are deciduous (they
drop their leaves in the autumn,
and grow new ones in the spring.
• Most deciduous trees have thin,
broad, light-weight leaves that
can capture a lot of sunlight to
make a lot of food for the tree in
warm weather.
TUNDRA
• Trees cannot grow in the tundra.
• Tundra plants do not have deep
root systems. They must also be
able to survive the climate and
low sunlight levels.
• Some arctic plants include:
• Low shrubs
• Lichens
• mosses
TUNDRA
• Tundra plants are small and low
growing due to lack of nutrients,
because being close to the ground
helps keep the plants from freezing.
• Plants are dark in color-some are
even red-this helps them absorb
solar heat.
• Some plants grow in clumps to
protect one another from the wind
cold.
• Some plants have dish-like flowers
that follow the sun, focusing more
solar heat on the center of the flower,
helping the plant stay warm.
and
GROUP ACTIVITY
• Now, you will be divided up into groups of two.
• Each group will cut out the activity for the tree map.
• Each group will lay out the cards on the desk and
sort them into the correct categories.