This document describes various structural and behavioral adaptations that allow plants to obtain nutrients, reproduce, and defend themselves. It discusses adaptations for getting food like leaves that absorb sunlight and roots that take in water and nutrients from soil. Adaptations for reproduction include brightly colored flowers that attract pollinators and seeds dispersed by wind or animals. Defensive adaptations incorporate spines, thorns, and toxins. The document also outlines adaptations for different biomes like desert, tundra, rainforest and temperate forest, as well as for aquatic plants, parasites and carnivorous species.
2. Types of Adaptations
• Structural adaptations are the
way something is built or made.
• Behavioral adaptations are the
way something acts naturally or
by instinct.
4. Behavioral Adaptations
• Adaptations to get food
–Plants lean or grow towards the sun.
–Roots grow down into soil.
–Vines climb up trees to catch sunlight.
8. Structural Adaptations
• Adaptations for reproduction
–Sweet fruit attracts animals that spread
seeds far away.
–Some seeds are shaped to catch the
wind.
13. Desert and Drought Adaptations
– Small leaves, needles, or spines on desert plants
conserve water.
– Thick waxy leaf coating holds in water.
– Stomata (openings in leaves) are under the leaf and
often only open at night to conserve water and stop
transpiration.
– Roots near the soils surface soak up rain water quickly
before it evaporates.
- Often have dormant phases to survive droughts.
Cactus,
Yucca,
Succulents,
and Pines
14. Grassland Adaptations
• Deep roots help plants survive prairie fires.
• Narrow leaves lose less water than broad
leaves.
• Flexible stems bend in the wind.
Grasses,
Milkweed,
Coneflower, &
Stinging Nettle
15. Tundra Adaptations
• Small plants grow close to the ground for
warmth.
• Dark colored flowers absorb heat from the
sun.
• Fuzzy stems provide protection from wind.
Mosses,
Low growing plants, &
Small berry plants
16. Rainforest Adaptations
• Smooth, slippery bark keeps vines from killing trees.
• Slide shaped leaves lets rain run off so fungus doesn’t
grow on plants.
• Deep growing roots anchor the plant to prevent it from
washing away.
Bamboo,
Mangrove,
Epiphytes such
as Bromeliads
and orchids.
17. Temperate Forest Adaptations
• Thick bark protects trees and dropping
leaves in winter conserves water and
nutrients during cold winters.
Deciduous trees (drop leaves) like birch, beech, oak,
and maple, ferns, and Northern Arrowwood shrubs
18. Water Adaptations
• Flexible stems move with water currents.
• Floating seeds spread offspring.
• Air pockets in stems at the base of leaves
to help leaves float.
Water Lily,
Lotus, &
Hornwort
19. Parasitic Plants
• Have roots that can draw nutrients from
another living plant.
• Do not require soil.
Mistletoe,
Rafflesia,
Yellow rattle,
and Australian
Christmas tree
21. Carnivorous Plants
• Get some of their food by trapping
and consuming animals (mainly insects)
• Because they eat bugs they can
live in areas with poor soil.
Venus Fly Trap, Monkey cup,
Sundew, and Cobra Lily