Plant Adaptations
Readiness
TEKS Objective
The student is expected to compare the structures and functions of different species that help them live and survive such as hooves on prairie animals or webbed feet in aquatic animals.
Essential Understanding
The student knows that organisms undergo similar life processes and have structures that help them survive within their environments.
Science Background
Plant Adaptations: Missouri Botanical Gardens (website) - The adaptations of plants in eight different biomes (desert, grassland, etc.) are described on this site.
Plant Adaptations
Missouri Botanical Gardens, www.mbgnet.net
Pollination Syndromes: Vanderbilt University Bioimages (website) - Flowering plants have evolved many different strategies to achieve pollination. Learn about adaptations for pollen transfer by animals, wind and water.
Pollination Syndromes
Vanderbilt University Bioimages, www.cas.vanderbilt.edu/bioimages
Mohave Desert: Digital-Desert (website) - Adaptations of desert plants are described and supported with photographs.
Signature Lesson
Plants in Space Teacher’s Guide: BioedOnline (PDF) - Plants are adapted to grow on Earth, where gravity helps determine the direction of root and stem growth. What happens gravity is not present? This guide provides instructions for students to compare plants grown in the classroom to plants on the International Space Station, and in the process learn about plant adaptations to conditions on Earth.
Plants in Space Teacher’s Guide
BioedOnline, www.bioedonline.org
- Supporting Lessons
- Extensions
- Assessment Ideas
- Literature Connections
- Related
TEKS - Additional Resources
Supporting Lessons
Plants and Animals, Partners in Pollination: Smithsonian Education (website) - About 90 percent of flowering rely on animals to achieve pollination. This set of lessons lets students explore how plants interact with their animal partners, such as insects.
Plants and Animals, Partners in Pollination
Smithsonian Education, www.smithsonianeducation.org
Elaboration Lessons and Extensions
Learning from Leaves, Adaptation Scavenger Hunt: The Huntington Botanical Gardens (PDF) - Students are challenged to search for specific leaves with certain adaptations. This activity is intended for use with a garden, but it can be adapted to use with purchased plants any plants growing in the school yard.
Learning from Leaves, Adaptation Scavenger Hunt
The Huntington Botanical Gardens, www.huntington.org
The Seedy Side of Plants: Nature (website) - Seed dispersal strategies of plants are described in this website, which includes the Nature video program on flowering plant reproduction.
Assessment Ideas
Bring several different kinds of plants from home or from garden shops (for example, climbing plant, grass plant, cactus or a plant with colored flowers). Ask students to describe some of the specialized adaptations that can be observed on each of the plants (for example, climbing stem is an adaptation to compete for sunlight; grasses are adapted for wind pollination; cacti have fleshy stems to store water; and colored flowers are an adaptation for animal pollination).
Literature Connections
The Science Behind Animal and Plant Survival. Brasch, Nicolas (ISBN-13: 978-1420268959)
How Plants Survive. Kudlinski, Kathleen (ISBN-13: 978-1582737089)
Exploring the Native Plant World: Adaptations. Johnson, Lady Bird (ISBN-13: 978-1571688514)
Additional Resources
Plant Adaptation Up Close: Botanic Garden of Smith College (website) – Web resources derived from a museum exhibit on plant adaptations. Click on “Panels” for one-page PDF descriptions of specialized plants, such as vines, carnivorous plants and epiphytes (air plants).
Plant Adaptation Up Close
Botanic Garden of Smith College, www.smith.edu
TEKS Navigation
Grade 5
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