Plants and AdaptationBy Arshia Jain

8C

Adaptations of Plants

Plants have adaptation strategies and ways to help them to survive (live and grow) in different environments. Adaptations are special features that allow a plant or animal to live in a particular place or habitat. Different adaptation suit different plants, therefore it could become very difficult for a plant to suddenly change habitats and adapt, for example a plant adapted to the rain forest would find it hard to survive in the desert.

The importance of photosynthesis

Once plants can’t make their own food using photosynthesis. The whole food chain breaks down slowly. Photosynthesis is the main energy source.

A good example could be a food chain. If plants couldn’t make their own food using photosynthesis. There wouldn’t be any producers left in the ecosystem. Once there’s no producers, the rest of the food chain gets affected. There wouldn’t be any food for the primary consumers (herbivores). Gradually the primary consumers would die down. One by one. Eventually there wouldn’t be any food for the secondary consumers (Carnivores) because there aren’t any primary consumers. The same situation relates to the a food web.

Carbon Dioxide and oxygen

Biology plays an big part in the movement of carbon between land, ocean, and atmosphere through the processes of photosynthesis and respiration. Almost all multi-cellular life on earth depends on photosynthesis and respiration in order to produce the energy needed for movement, growth and reproduction. Plants take in carbon dioxide from the atmosphere during photosynthesis and then they release CO2 back into the atmosphere during respiration.

Energy flow

The energy pyramid shows many trees and shrubs providing food and energy to the consumers, therefore making the shrubs producers. Note that as we go up, there are fewer secondary consumer and les primary consumers (giraffes and lions)… as we go further along the energy pyramid, there are fewer and fewer consumers. In other words, a larger mass of living things at the base is required to support a few at the top … many herbivores are needed to support a few carnivores.

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