Stuffed, But Hungry For More?
If you're not a microbe and you're not an animal, chances are you might be a plant. Scientists believe there are over 260,000 different species of plants. Some are so small you can barely see them, such as some aquatic plants like duckweed. Others
are taller than people or animals, like the sequoia trees in California that are almost as tall as a 30-story building. Without plants, there would be no life on Earth.
- Discuss why you think there would be no life on earth without plants.
- Explain various different ways in which humans and animals need and use plants?
- How are plants are able to use sunlight in different ways from the ways humans do?
Note to Leader: Through photosynthesis, plants take energy from the sun, carbon dioxide from the air, and water and minerals from the soil. Leaves on the plant capture energy from sunlight and turn water and carbon dioxide into sugar and starch. This sugar and starch becomes food that provides plants with energy to grow and produce flowers and seeds.
- Can you describe what characteristics all plants have in common?
- Can you explain what differences there are between plants and animals? Any similarities? And what does this mean with respect to their genes?
Next: SET Concepts Addressed
