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Agenda
Bell Work
Plant Notes
Finish All Questions
Plants
Plant Characteristics
 All plants are autotrophs or
producers; they use the sun’s
energy to make their own food
(photosynthesis)
 They are multi-cellular eukaryotes
(their cells have a nucleus)
 They are typically green because
they contain chlorophyll, a
pigment that allows them to
perform photosynthesis
Plant Parts
 Roots – Mainly absorb water from
the soil; also absorb nutrients, like
nitrogen, used for growth and
development.
 Stems – Full of xlyem, which
transports water from the roots up to
the leaves for photosynthesis, and
phloem, which transports glucose
down from the leave to other parts of
the plant
 Flower – Reproductive organ of the
plant
 Leaves – Site of photosynthesis
Flower Parts
 Stamen – The
male part of the
flower; contains
the anther
(produces pollen)
and filament
(holds anther up)
 Pistol – Female part of the plant; contain the stigma (sticky
part that collects pollen), style (long tub pollen travels down),
and ovary (contains the eggs)
 Petals – Brightly colored structures used to attracted
pollinators like bees or butterflies
Plant Reproduction
 Plants rely on other organisms to help them reproduce.
 Bees, birds, other insects, and sometimes the wind carry pollen
(flower sperm) from one plant to another.
 When the pollen attaches to the stigma it is then transferred down
the style to the ovary where the eggs are.
 The ovary grows into a
fruit, and the eggs within
it turn into seeds
 Other animals eat the
fruit and poop the seeds out
far away from the parent
plant, in some nice
fertilizer so it can germinate
Photosynthesis
 Plants use the energy from
the sun to create organic
stored energy in the form of
glucose.
 They also require carbon
dioxide and water to complete
this process.
 Sun + H2O + CO2 
Glucose (C6H12O6) + O2
 For photosynthesis to occur plants need enough water and
CO2, but when plants open the stomata in their leaves to take
in CO2 they lose water
Stomata
 On the bottom sides of leaves
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there are tiny pores called
stomata
A stomate regulates how much
water will leave the plant and
how much CO2 will enter the leaf
When the plants are losing too
much water and beginning to
wilt, stomates close to conserve
water.
When the plants have plenty of
water stomates open to take in
CO2 for photosynthesis
This is one way plants maintain
homeostasis
Guard Cells
 Guard cells regulate when the stomate is opened or closed
 The guard cells do this by taking water into their
cells and becoming turgid,
thus closing the stomate,
or removing water from
their cells to become
flaccid and open the
stomate.
 This is done through
osmosis
Plant Adaptations
 Just like animals, plants have evolved
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adaptations to help them survive.
Some plants have evolved spines to keep
predators from eating them (cacti)
Other have developed chemicals that inhibit
other plants from growing near them (black
walnut tree)
Some have developed ways to catch insects for
nutrients, so they can grow in nutrient poor
areas (venus fly trap and pitcher plants)
Some plants have adapted to crawl up other
plants to reach the sunlight above (vines and
ivy)