Download Plant Brochure - 7thGradeDigitalPortfolios

Plants you need
Since there is a shortage of oxygen, you aliens
will need to grow some plants to produce oxygen.
Green plants help make oxygen through
photosynthesis. This process uses carbon dioxide
in the air and returns oxygen for other living
species to use. We would advise the use of annual,
perennial and biennial plants. Annual plants
flower, spread seeds, and then die. Some examples
of annual plants are tomatoes, marigolds, and
morning glory. Although these are tiny plants, it’s
just a start. Another type of plant is a perennial. A
perennial lives for a very long time and it sets
seeds and flowers. Some examples are roses, maple
trees, pine trees, and apple trees. All these plants
would be a good idea to plant because they give off
a lot of oxygen, and with the apple tree, you can
also have a food source. The last plant is a biennial
plant. A biennial plant is a plant that needs two
growing seasons to complete its life cycle. Some
examples are parsley, sugar beet, onion, and carrot.
Uses for these plants
There are a lot of uses for plants. The most
obvious use is the provision of oxygen so that we
can breathe. Plants also provide a food source for
humans and other animals. A large portion of
plants provide food like apples, oranges, broccoli,
and carrots. Plant material can also be used for
medicine, fiber for cloth, shelter, clothing, and
energy.
Plant
Classification
Journal
By: Jessica Boyce &
Peyton Bowman
How we classify plants
Scientists on earth classify plants into the Plant
Kingdom, one of the five kingdoms of living
things. The plants are classified further based on
shared characteristics. Within the plant kingdom,
plants are divided into two groups according to
reproduction, either seed producing or seedless.
Plants that are seed producing are broken down
into two further groups. The two groups in the seed
producing plants are angiosperms, which have
flowers and seeds enclosed in fruit. The other
group is called a gymnosperm which have cones,
no flowers and seeds that are not enclosed in fruit.
Examples of gymnosperms are pines, spruces, firs
and ginkgo. The other main group contains the
seedless plants that reproduce by spores. Examples
of seedless plants include mosses, liverworts,
horsetails, and ferns.
If you want to classify plants you have to look
at the structure by which the plant absorbs water.
Plants can either be two things; vascular or nonvascular. Vascular plants transport water from the
roots to the stems to the leaves. Non-vascular
plants absorb water from their surfaces.
Parts of a plant
The basic parts of most plants are the roots,
stems, leaves, flowers, fruits, and seeds. The roots
hold provide support and anchor the plant, collect
water and minerals from the soil, and store food for
future use. The stems carry water and nutrients
from the roots to the leaves. Stems also provide
support for the plant to reach sunlight. Leaves
capture sunlight and are also the site for
photosynthesis, a food making process. As a byproduct of photosynthesis, the plant releases
oxygen into the air. Next are the flowers which are
the reproductive part of most plants. Flowers
contain pollen and tiny eggs called ovules. After
pollination of the flower and fertilization of the
ovule, the ovule develops into a fruit. The fruit of
the plant form seeds which the fruit protects. After
fertilization, the embryo swells up and becomes
either fleshy or hard and dry to help the upcoming
seeds. The seeds form new plants.
Pollination- the life cycle of a flower
Pollination leads to the creation of new seeds
that grow into new plants. Flowering plants have
male and female parts that are important to
pollination. The male part is called a stamen that
produce a sticky powder called pollen. The female
part is called a pistil. The top of the pistil is called
the stigma and is often sticky. At the base of the
pistil, seeds are made in a part called the ovule. To
be pollinated, pollen must be moved from the
stamen to the stigma. Pollination can occur in
different ways. People or the wind can transfer
pollen. Most commonly though pollination occurs
through pollinators, which include bees, butterflies
and bats. They are attracted to the sweet-smelling
nectar of a flower and the flower’s bright colors.
The pollinator goes to obtain the nectar and gets
pollen on their coat from the male part of the
flower and then brings it to the female part during
feeding. Pollen lands on the pistil of a stigma and
a tiny tube grows from the style to the ovary. The
fertilized ovule becomes the seed and the ovary
then becomes the fruit.
The 4 major components of soil
Soil is made up of living and non-living
materials. Soil is 45% rock particles, 25 % water,
25% air, and 5% leaves. Soil can be described as
heavy, light, sandy, clay, loam, poor, or good.
Scientists describe it by texture. If your soil is
sandy, it doesn’t have many nutrients. If your soil
is like silt, it is smooth but not powdery. Clay soil
holds a lot of nutrients, but it does not allow air and
water through it very well.
Photosynthesis and transpiration
The process in which plants produce food is
called photosynthesis. For photosynthesis to occur,
plants need light, carbon dioxide, chlorophyll,
nutrients and minerals, and water. Chlorophyll is a
green pigment found in leaves. Carbon dioxide and
water, in the presence of the chlorophyll and light
energy, are converted to glucose. The glucose is
the main source of food used by most plants.
Transpiration is the process in which plants absorb
water and then release it again into the air. It is a
method in which the plant cools itself. It also
allows the mass flow of nutrients and water from
the roots to the other parts of the plant.
Transpiration happens when the plants stomata is
open so that carbon dioxide and oxygen can pass
through.
Hydroponics
Hydroponics is a method of growing plants in a
solution of nutrients instead of soil. It provides a
more controlled environment for a plant growth.
Hydroponics allows a large amount of food to be
produced in a small amount of space with less
water. The size and yield of the plant can be larger
because nutrients are constantly available. Because
hydroponic growth occurs mostly inside, the plants
are safe from insect and disease risk. The uses of
hydroponics include growing plants in areas where
it would normally be impossible for soil plant
growth, such as growing fresh vegetables in the
South Pole. NASA is also doing research on
hydroponic plant growth for future space stations.