1. Plants are Living
1. Plants are Living
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To recognise that plants are living beings with needs like animals, and to compare photosynthesis and transpiration with how animals eat and excrete
To recognise that plants are living beings with needs like animals, and to compare photosynthesis and transpiration with how animals eat and excrete
Get ready to dive into a world of discovery where plants aren't just leaves in the breeze. Did you know that plants have traits in common with humans and other animals? They have clever tactics to survive, fascinating friendships, and even share some remarkable features! Exploring these awesome connections will open your eyes to the incredible ways all living things are connected in nature's big family. So, let's embark on a journey of fun and surprises to learn how plants are way more awesome than we ever imagined!
There are plants in every known corner of the world, coming in all different sizes and shapes. Green algae, mosses, ferns, vines, grasses, bushes, herbs, blooming plants, and trees are some examples of these.
Just like animals and humans, plants are also living. They grow, breathe, need food, eliminate waste and reproduce.
Most plants start out as seeds. Plants are born and keep growing. Some plants, such as geraniums, grow really fast, while others, like oak trees, grow very slowly1.
Fig 1.1 Seeds growing into new plants
Just like animals have families, plants also have their plant families. Every plant is born from another plant, just like we come from our parents.
Plants are sensitive to their environment. If it's too hot or cold, they won't grow well. Although plants can't move like us, they are smart and can grow towards the sunlight and direct their roots towards the water in the ground to stay healthy2.
Fig 1.2 Sunflowers Respond To Sunlight
We know, animals get energy from food derived from either plants or other animals.
Plants also require energy, but they have a different way of obtaining it compared to animals. Plants are like little chefs; they create their own food. They take water and minerals from the soil using their roots and use sunlight to make yummy food in their leaves through the process of photosynthesis.4
Fig 1.4 Plants and Animals Require Nutrients for Energy
When animals get rid of waste and things their bodies don't need anymore, it's called excretion. All living things, no matter how big or small, have to do this to stay healthy. This process is like cleaning up and throwing away things that could be harmful. It's also called elimination because it's how living things eliminate, or get rid of, waste, harmful stuff, and parts of themselves that are no longer alive. This process and the special parts that help with it can be different depending on how big and complex the living thing is5.
Like other creatures, plants produce waste products, which must be removed from the body of the plant in order to sustain health and life.
Plants expel waste through a variety of processes, including the release of gases like oxygen and carbon dioxide as well as the secretion of materials into their surrounding environment like resins and gums. Through transpiration, plants also get rid of extra water6.
Fig. 1.5a Natural Gum
Fig. 1.5b Transpiration
Watch this video to recap how plants and animals are similar and different7:
Vid 1.1 Plants vs. Animals
Glossary
algae: simple, plant-like living things that usually grow in water and can make their own food.
moss: a small green plant that grows close to the ground, often in moist places.
fern: a green plant with feathery leaves that does not produce flowers.
vine: a plant with a long stem that grows along the ground or climbs on things.
stimulus (plural: stimuli): something that causes a living thing to react, like touch, light, or heat.
transpiration: the way plants get rid of extra water through their leaves.
resin: sticky substance made by some plants as waste.
gum: thick substance made by plants, often used in food or glue.
Summary
Plants are living and have the same needs as all other living things. They need energy to grow and a process to remove waste.
New plants are born from the parent plant.
Plants are sensitive to their environment.
Plants need food and prepare their own food through photosynthesis.
Plants get rid of excess water through transpiration.
Photosynthesis and transpiration are processes in plants that help them survive.
Photosynthesis and transpiration are similar to food consumption and excretion in animals.
References
1 Plants (Basel). National Library of Medicine, 2012, link
2 Plants are living things. juntadeandalucia, n.d, link
3 Biology Building Greenhouse. Indiana University Bloomington, n.d, link
4 What Do Animals Need To Stay Alive? FOOD! . Department of Environmental Conservation, n.d, link
5 Excretion. Britannica, 2023, link
6 Excretion In Plants – Definition, Types, Transpiration, Examples. Geek For Geeks, 2023, link
7 Plants and Animals Similarities & Differences. Periwinkle, Youtube, n.d, link
8 Jagadish Chandra Bose: Extraordinary man of science. Hindustan Times, 2019, link
9 Jagadish Chandra Bose. Drishti, 2023, link
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