...Inquiry Research Paper Every plant is different. There are no two plants that are the same, nor are there two that grow the same way. Some plants grow in hot, dry environments while others grow in cold, damp environments. Some plants grow in the tropical rain forests while others grow in prairies. Even plants that are in the same family can grow in different climates and environments. Plants can be as similar as they are different. Plants need certain factors to be able to thrive in an environment. They need certain levels of water and sunlight. They need a certain type of soil and certain amount of shade. Plants are very picky on how, when and where they grow. The Beavertail Cactus, African Lilly, and Boston fern are three plants that are very different in many ways. They all grow in different regions and require different levels of abiotic factors. They are each unique in their own way and are ever different then the species in their families. The Beavertail Cactus is a part of the cactaceae, cactus family. It has a scientific name of Opuntia basilaris. The cactus is the state cactus of Texas. The lifespan of it is over twenty years. Another name that the Beavertail Cactus is referred to is “Prickly Pear.” It is referred by that name because of the fruit that grows on it. Spanish-American culture influenced a nickname for the fruit, “tuna.” The Beavertail Cactus is flat and pancake like with no leafs. It is a dull green color. The cactus can reach up to seven feet...
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...Plants are vital to the survival of all life on Earth--plants transform the light of the sun into energy that is usable to other life on Earth. Without plants, animals would not be able to use the energy of the Sun that reaches the Earth. The removal of one plant from the ecosystem can cause many unforeseen changes, sometimes irreversibly damaging an ecosystem. However, some plants are more important than others, either for biological or cultural reasons. In my country, Korea, I would say that the grass that produces rice has come to be the most important plant, not just because rice is a staple food, but also for other cultural reasons. Virtually every Korean eats rice at least twice a day. I, for example, had rice at breakfast, lunch, and dinner yesterday. For most Koreans, rice is an integral part of a meal, as expected in a meal as ink is to a pen or wheels are to a car--a meal without rice is not a meal. In fact, if I have dinner with my American friends and do not eat rice, I actually feel hungry even if I have filled myself with potatoes or other food while eating with them. Many of my friends have made similar comments to me. So, I believe that rice is as much a part of our daily lives as work or talking on the telephone is. However, rice is much more than just a staple food to most Koreans--it represents the very sustenance of much of our culture. Our history teachers tell us that the development of rice as an agricultural product was largely responsible for the advancement...
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...into the 20th century, species were divided into two kingdoms: animals and plants. Driven by DNA characterizations and other modern analysis, fungi and bacteria have now been removed to separate kingdoms; in particular, fungi have cell walls that contain chitin rather than cellulose. Lichens, which are a symbiotic association of a fungal and photosynthetic organism, are generally not considered plants in the purest sense of taxonomy, although earlier classification schemes viewed them as plants. Viruses are also not considered to be plants, since they do not have a cell of their own, but inhabit a host cell of another organism; moreover, in many classifications they are not considered a living organism at all. Myxomycetes, or slime molds, are also not considered plants, but rather are heterotrophs that can ingest bacteria, fungal spores, and other items. The scientific study of plants, known as botany, has identified about 350,000 extant taxa of plants, defined as seed plants, bryophytes, ferns and fern allies. As of 2008, approximately 400,000 plant species have been described,[2] of which roughly ninety percent are flowering plants. Vascular plants have lignified tissue and specialized structures termed xylem and phloem, which transport water, minerals, and nutrients upward from the roots and return sugars and other photosynthetic products. Vascular plants include ferns, club mosses, flowering plants, conifers and other gymnosperms. A scientific name for this vascular group...
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...Plant Classification Four major groups 1. Nonvascular plants-represents the transition from the aquatic environment of their ancestors-charophytes- to the terrestrial environment about 475 million years ago- some possess water-conducting tubesWater-conducting tubes- prototypes of vascular tissues that fully developed in the next group | | 2. Seedless Vascular plants-evolved about 400 million years ago-they reproduce through spores-structures with vascular tissues eventually diversified and allowed a wider range of sizes for plants wherein the vascular tissues permit transport of water and nutrients across longer distances | | 3. Seeds-provided a natural advantage for colonizing drier lands as they protect plant embryos from harsh environment factorsCone- earliest seed plants bear naked seeds on reproductive structures -they gave rise to the group of cone-bearing plants (gymnosperms) about 200 million years ago | | 4. Flower- Bearing Plants * They emerged about 130 million years agoFlowers- complex reproductive structures that bear seeds within chambers called Ovaries. | | Additional notes: Mosses -the first group of land plants are the mosses and their allies, the liverworts and hornworts. Together, they are called the bryophytes. -they are land plants, but do not have seeds or flowers. -lack vessels, so they are restricted to smaller sizes and more moist environments than other land plants. Gametophyte generation- is the one that produces...
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...PLANT EVOLUTION Plant Evolution Colette Andrews Strayer University SCI 115 Dr. David Davies November 24, 2012 Plant Evolution has been around for millions of years. In fact, plants were the first species on earth and the first to live on land (“Plant Evolution”, D. Davies, accessed 11/24/12). For 1500 million year’s photosynthetic organisms remained in the sea. This is because, in the absence of a protective ozone layer, the land was bathed in lethal levels of UV radiation. Once atmospheric oxygen levels were high enough the ozone layer formed, meaning that it was possible for living things to venture onto the land (The University of the West Indies. Department of Biological and Chemical Sciences 2003-2012). The seashore would have been enormously important in the colonization of land. In this zone algae would have been exposed to fresh water running off the land (and would have colonized the freshwater habitat before making the move to terrestrial existence). They would also be exposed to an alternating wet and desiccating environment. Adaptations to survive drying out would have had strong survival value, and it is important to note that seaweeds are poikilohydric and able to withstand periods of desiccation (The University of the West Indies. Department of Biological and Chemical Sciences 2003-2012). The earliest evidence for the appearance of land plants, in the form of fossilized spores, comes from the Ordovician period (510 - 439 million years ago),...
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...Plant Competition INTRODUCTION This experiment was used to show the different types of competition between species. Competition was defined as being a “relationship between members of the same or different species in which individuals are adversely affected by those having the same living requirements, such as food or space” (Competition 2010). There are two different types of competition that we will be observing during this experiment. The first type would be intraspecific, which means “competition between same species” (1976). The second type of competition is interspecific, which is defined as “competition between different species” (1976). These two types of competition have helped us look at the different types of interactions between plants species. The lab manual says that intraspecific competition experienced in plants is often very intensely prevalent, and the interspecific competition has the potential to be, mainly because they use most of the same resources (2015). For the experiment conducted for this report, intraspecific and interspecific competition was looked at using numerous set ups of radish and bean plants, and measured through the leaf length and biomass of each particular pot planted. The hypothesis that was fomred was that there would be intraspecific competition occurring between the radishes when planted in low density and high density, as well as intraspecific competition occurring between the beans planted in low density and high density, and...
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...Plant Diversity Paper Plants are extremely diverse multicellular photosynthetic organisms whose evolution can be traced back to one common ancestor. This common ancestor would most likely be some variation of the common day green algae. Even though these green algae are only modicums of modern day plants they still contain the most important characteristic of all, the ability to photosynthesize. Photosynthesis is the ability to take in water, carbon dioxide, and solar energy and convert it into glucose. Any plants that appear green contain a photon absorbing pigment known as chlorophyll, which is essential to absorb light. The first plants, such as algae and kelp, most likely lived in aquatic environments. However plant’s evolutionary history shows that they made the challenging transition from sea to land in favor of less competition for sunlight and higher concentrations of carbon dioxide. At this time all photosynthetic plants lived in marine environments. This resulted in all of these amphibious plants competing for the best environments to collect the optimum amount of sunlight. This in turn caused a struggle for many of these plants to collect their required sunlight for photosynthesis. At the same time aquatic plants were also consuming too much carbon dioxide as a result of living in the same habitats. Carbon dioxide also diffuses easier in air than in water, which made carbon dioxide more readily accessible on land than in water. These two reasons were...
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...treatment control options available for invasive plants. Large machinery may be the most cost effective way to control some dense infestations of invasive trees and shrubs. Bush hogging, mulching, and mowing can remove large plants, preparing stumps and later new growth for herbicide. Great care should be exercised however, to minimize soil ruts, soild disturbance, and compation. All of these can not only hinder restoration, but also give additional opportunity for futher invasion. Chain saws, brush saws, hedge trimmers, and weed whips create less disturbance than heavy machinery. It is also critical to clean seeds and debris from equipment on-site at the end of each day to avoid spreading invasives. Weed wrenches or grubbing tools are useful on shallow- rooted species on days when the soil is moist, but the entire root system must be removed for this to effective otherwise the plants may resprout....
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...Plants General Characteristics: * Multicellular, primarily terrestrial eukaryotes with well developed tissues * Autotrophic by photosynthesis * Chlorophyl a and b , carotenoids etc. * Store starch in chloroplast * Cell wall – cellulose * Protect the embryo from drying out by providing it with water and nutrients within the female reproductive structure * Alternation of generation’s life cycle ( sporophyte and gametophyte phase) Main Division: 1. Non Vascular * Lack vascular tissues * No true roots, stems and leaves * Rootlike, stemlike, and leaflike structures * Usually small * Found in moist habitat * Example: hornwort, liverwort, mosses 2. Vascular * Seedless * Include the ferns * With vascular tissues * With true roots, stems and leaves * Seed * Gymnosperm (naked seed) and Angiosperm (enclosed seed) * With vascular tissue * With true roots, stems and leaves * Gymnosperms * Cone bearing plants * Conifers * Cycads * Ginkgo * Gnetophytes * Angiosperms (Flowering Plants) A. Dicot (class Magniliopsida) * More primitive than monocots * Embryo has two cotyledon * Floral part’s in 4’s or 5’s or multiples of 4’s or 5’s * Mostly woody, some herbaceous stems * Oval or palmate leaves with netlike venation * Taproot system A. Monocot (class Liliopsida) ...
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...The Organization and function of plants On earth plants are intricate members of our very existence but the also have their organization as well there own functions. Plants are multicellular photosynthetic eukaryotes that increasingly became adapted to live on land . Plant organization and functions vary depending on its characteristics , or what the plant is made of most of which depends on the structure and environment of the plant pertains to. For instance, flowering plants most consist of a root system and shoot system being the leaves and stems. plants also have a few complex important parts stems, leaves, roots they also have a unique tissue system as well a few diferent type of cell types such as Parenchyma See these are typical plant features which have vegetative organs these organs produce growth nutrition , but they do not intervene with the plants reproduction (9.1plants organ and system pg143). Root systems majority of plants are located beneath the surface the functions of the root systems is to absorb water and minerals from the soil it is used to feed off the entire plant. The root system is made up of the branch root, root hairs and the primary root. The two main purposes of roots are to stabilize the plant in the soil, while at the same time absorbing water and nutrients and dispersing them to the rest of the plant. Plants can also act as storage sites for food reserves. Water does not come to roots nearly as much as roots must come...
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...How to develop plants inside? Examination on testing the rate of development of a plant utilizing distinctive light situations inside. Our theory is whether we utilize a glaring light then the plant development would be higher in quality (tallness and fitness) on the grounds that it supplies better supplemental light and the plant has a superior shot of survival contrasted with the brilliant light. The plant that is developed underneath a bright light has a more risk of survival on the grounds that glowing lights are excessively hot and can blaze the plant if to close. For this trial you would require two lights (little work area lights) and one bright light and one brilliant light. Additionally you would require three plants one to go under the glaring light and one to go under the glowing light and one to put in the sun to perceive how the plant would typically develop. The vital thing that you requirement for each plant is water which gives oxygen. To set this trial up everything you need is clean zone, for example, a table. Put two of the plants on the table and spread them out then set the light right beside them and have the light point towards that plant for the "daylight". Keep light on for 12 hours a day and check once/twice every week. Every plant began at the stature of 3cm and we developed then for 3 weeks. The plant that developed the most out of the three plants was the plant in the sun which grew 10 cm. The plants under the bright lights grew 1cm from the 1st week...
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...Barcelona Plant. The SONY Head Quarters would put Barcelona Plant as a pilot, and extend the experiences to the three European Plants even the global market. This paper will analyze the business situation in Europe and the problems in Ideal Factory as well as analyze the benefits and risks on continuing with the European STAR Project or defining an independent strategy. Situation summary STAR launched in mid 1997 in order to standardize the production and procurement processes, and apply information system in three SONY plants in Europe, however, the progress and results of the project was disappointing. Also, the Ideal Factory, which is with the initial arm of improving efficiencies and coordination among three plants in Europe, presented many problems and questioned by staff such as some plant managers. Therefore, Ferran Gil, the Plant General Director, affirmed that Barcelona Plant needed to define a new Plant model due to competitors' fast growth meant shorter production lifecycles and greater pressure in profit margins. There also have some different views on this issues. Some problems of implementing STAR Project 1. Cost. Because the project was centralized in London, the transportation cost would be high when project members had to attend the monthly meeting. Also, due to high consumption in Europe, three plants may be too much for this area. 2. Satisfaction. Each plant has their own situation, thus it is hard to satisfy different needs among three plants. 3. Problems...
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...Reporters: VIANCA PAMELA DELOS REYES JESTER CRUZ CHAPTER 12: FLOWERING PLANTS In this chapter, you will study the structure of flowering plants, how they function, and how they respond to the environment. 1. FLOWERS, SEEDS, and FRUITS -Some flowers are large and showy. Some are small. Even though flowers look different, they have the SAME FUNCTIONS. Flowers are the structures of sexual reproduction in angiosperms. RECEPTACLE-enlarged end of the stem under the flower. SEPALS-Circle of green leaf-like parts found around the bottom of the flower. They cover and protect the developing bud. PETALS-is found inside the sepals. These are usually the bright colored parts you see in flowers. Petals surround the reproductive parts of the flower. STAMENS-slender structures with knobs on top are near the middle of the flower. The slender parts are the FILAMENTS and the knobs are the ANTHERS. The tall, vase like part in the middle of the flower are called the PISTIL. Notice the sticky stigma is supported by the STYLE. At the base of the pistil is the OVARY. Inside the ovary are one or more ovules. An egg is produced inside each ovule. PERFECT FLOWERS-have both stamens and a pistil. IMPERFECT FLOWERS-have either stamens or a pistil, but not both. HOW SEEDS AND FRUITS DEVELOP For seeds to form in Angiosperms, a pollen grain should be transferred from an Anther to a Stigma. Stigma helps trap the pollen. Recall chapter 11. When a seed begins...
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...own Brassica plant (i.e., mustard seeds). Rapid-cycling Brassicas are small plants that take up relatively little space and grow and germinate quickly enabling students to observe all stages of the plant life cycle within just 5 weeks. Through their study of the Brassica plant and the informational text A Pumpkin Grows, students will learn about the parts of a plant, where they live, and how they grow and reproduce. Upon completion of the project, a collaborative conversation will provide students opportunities to use vocabulary related to the content throughout the unit. This project will serve...
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...Experiment 1 Alternative Assignment (20 points) Paper Chromatography (Separate Plant Pigments) Watch the following video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HTWUS_yb1Bw Please answer these questions (1–2 paragraphs per question): 1. Why are plants green? (10 pts) Some plants are green because they do not absorb or use green light in their photosynthetic processes. Instead the green light gets reflected off the pigments and that is the light that we see with our eyes. The plant absorbs and utilizes all the other colors in the spectrum for its photosynthetic processes. The reason the plant hasn’t evolved to accept green light is probably because there is a greater energy output in the blue and violet wavelengths of light therefore it’s more...
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