SCIENCE03L15: Plant Habitats

Summary

This lesson introduces plant habitats and their classifications—terrestrial, aerial, and aquatic. It explains how plants adapt to their environments through features like rigid stems, larger leaves, or specialized roots. Examples of different plant types include terrestrial plants like mango trees, aerial plants like orchids, and aquatic plants like water lilies. The importance of protecting plant habitats is emphasized, along with ways to conserve them such as planting trees and reducing pollution. The lesson ends with a brief quiz to reinforce understanding.

Takeaways

• 🌍 The place where a certain type of plant lives is called a habitat.
• 🌿 Plants have special features called adaptations that allow them to survive in their environment.
• 🏞️ There are three main types of plant habitats: terrestrial, aerial, and aquatic.
• 🌲 Terrestrial plants, which live on land, have stiff stems and thicker roots to help them stand upright and get sunlight.
• 🌱 Aerial plants, also called epiphytes, grow on the branches and trunks of trees or other supports, with roots above the ground.
• 💧 Aquatic plants, or hydrophytes, live in water and have specialized features like feathery roots and less rigid stems.
• 🍃 The protective film covering the outer layer of a leaf is called the cuticle.
• 🌺 Examples of terrestrial plants include mango trees, cactus, and roses, while orchids are aerial plants and kelp is an aquatic plant.
• 🌿 Aerial plants absorb moisture and nutrients from the air through their exposed roots.
• 🌳 We can protect plant habitats by planting more trees, avoiding deforestation, reducing pollution, and properly disposing of waste.

Q & A

What are the three main types of plant habitats?

The three main types of plant habitats are terrestrial, aerial, and aquatic.

What are terrestrial plants and how do they adapt to their environment?

Terrestrial plants are plants that live on land. They have stiff stems to stay upright, thicker roots, and may have tendrils for climbing or larger leaves for shaded areas.

What is adaptation in plants?

Adaptation in plants refers to the special features that allow them to survive in their environment.

What are aerial plants and how do they survive?

Aerial plants, also called epiphytes, grow on the branches or trunks of trees. They have roots above the ground and absorb moisture and nutrients from the air.

What are some examples of aerial plants?

Examples of aerial plants include Cattleya, Vanda orchids, Walling Walling, and bromeliads.

What are aquatic plants, and how are they different from terrestrial and aerial plants?

Aquatic plants, or hydrophytes, live in water. They have less rigid or hollow stems and specialized roots to absorb oxygen or grow in deep water.

Why don’t aquatic plants need a cuticle on their leaves?

Aquatic plants don't need a cuticle because they live in a water-rich environment, so they don't need protection from drying out.

What adaptations help aquatic plants survive in water?

Aquatic plants may have hollow stems, feathery roots, or specialized roots to absorb oxygen or anchor in water.

What is a cuticle, and what is its role in plants?

A cuticle is a protective film that covers the outer layer of a plant's leaf, preventing water loss in terrestrial plants.

How can we help protect plant habitats?

We can protect plant habitats by planting more trees, avoiding deforestation, not polluting water bodies, and reducing air pollution.