Introduction to Plants and Plant Science (The DIRT Society)

When you think of efficient, useful
and advanced technology...
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When you think of efficient, useful
and advanced technology...
What comes to mind?
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Solanum lycopersicum
A Common Tomato
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Consider...
The iPhone was first released in 2007, and Apple
has been perfecting the technology ever since.
Scientists have been trying to understand the
mechanical genius of basic plants for centuries.
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Consider...
The iPhone was first released in 2007, and Apple
has been perfecting the technology ever since.
Scientists have been trying to understand the
mechanical genius of basic plants for centuries.
It seems as if, for every
puzzle we solve, a dozen
more questions arise.
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And while we take thousands of years to try and understand
their most basic functions, plants are busy developing new
systems and methods of survival without the help of
engineers or technicians.

They evolve quickly, and in many different
ways. The plants you are most familiar with
make up a tiny portion of plant life on earth.
Of those, the plants you rely on for food are
an even tinier fraction.
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They evolve quickly, and in many different
ways. The plants you are most familiar with
make up a tiny portion of plant life on earth.
Of those, the plants you rely on for food are
an even tinier fraction.
Put it into perspective this way: Out of 50,000 edible plants on earth,
about 60% of your diet is made up of... 3. If you’re missing out on
49,997 possible vegetable dishes, how familiar with plants are you,
really? They are everywhere, taking many shapes and developing
new functions and systems with every generation.The DIRT Society

For every possible environment on earth,
plants have adapted and developed in
such a way that they can survive. In the
water or on land, you’ll find a huge variety
of successful plants.
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That’s a lot to study...
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So, what we’re trying to say is..
Despite all of humanity’s awesome achievements, plants
are developing more quickly and efficiently than we seem
able to do.
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Granted, humankind has the power to destroy
plant life; a power which, unfortunately, we use
and abuse.
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And yet, without plants, every human on earth
would be dead.
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So let’s unlock some of the mysteries of the
plant body: Because if you want to work with
the world’s most impressive technology, you’ll
want to begin with plants.
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Here are the words you need to
know before we continue:
Basic Anatomy
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Blossom
Fruit
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Blossom
Fruit
Seed
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Pretty simple so far, right?
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Root
Anchors plant to ground.
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Root
Absorbs water and minerals from soil.
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Root
Absorbs water and minerals from soil.
Nutrient (food) storage.
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Stem
Stable center body supports
heavy leaves, fruits and branches.
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Stem
Moves leaves upwards and outwards
to find sunlight.
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Stem
Moves leaves upwards and outwards
to find sunlight.
Houses a network of channels that
move nutrients up and down to all
parts of the body.
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Leaf
Creates food using sunlight.
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Leaf
Bends, folds and moves depending
upon weather and light.
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Leaf
Location of respiration
(breathing) in plant.
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Leaf
Location of respiration
(breathing) in plant.
Communicates with other organisms.
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Blossom
The reproductive organs of
sexual plants.
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Blossom
sexual plants.
The site of fertilization.
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Blossom
sexual plants.
House sex cells,
called “gametes.”
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Blossom
sexual plants.
House sex cells,
called “gametes.” Can develop into
fruits and seeds.
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Fruit
Protects seeds using soft,
fleshy walls and tissue.
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Fruit
Protects seeds using soft,
fleshy walls and tissue.
May attract consumers.
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Seed
Protective enclosures.
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Seed
Protective enclosures.
Contain all of the
genetic material (and
food) needed to
begin growing
another independent
plant.
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Back up. Plants breathe?
Absolutely. Plants “exhale” both
oxygen and water. But when?
And why?
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1. Plants throw away their
garbage! The result of food
production is an excess of
molecules like hydrogen and
oxygen that must be released.
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2. By releasing moisture, plants
cool themselves off. This is
similar to sweating in animals.
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2. By releasing moisture, plants
cool themselves off. This is
similar to sweating in animals.
3. This release creates a pull, or
vacuum, which forces the roots
to absorb more moisture.
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Thus, the hotter the
plant, the more it
“sweats” and hydrates
itself.
Plants do, naturally, what
people have to remind
themselves to do!
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But even more impressively:
Imagine if, when you feel hungry, all you had to do was
go outside and sit in the sunlight. Then, as if by magic,
the exact food you crave would appear.
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But even more impressively:
Imagine if, when you feel hungry, all you had to do was
go outside and sit in the sunlight. Then, as if by magic,
the exact food you crave would appear.
Plants do this. They create
their own food whenever
they have access to a little
light.
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Here’s how:
Photosynthesis is a plant’s way of feeding itself. By using photons,
or light energy, a plant can turn otherwise unusable materials
into carbohydrates, or energy storage.
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Here’s how:
Photosynthesis is a plant’s way of feeding itself. By using photons,
or light energy, a plant can turn otherwise unusable materials
into carbohydrates, or energy storage.
This process takes place on leaves, generally. The surface
reflects back the light it will not use, giving plants colors as
diverse as their light requirements.
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Written out, photosynthesis looks something like this:
CO2 + H2O + Photons = H2O + O2 + Carbohydrates
(Carbon dioxide and water, plus a little light, are turned into water, oxygen and sugar.)
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Written out, photosynthesis looks something like this:
CO2 + H2O + Photons = H2O + O2 + Carbohydrates
(Carbon dioxide and water, plus a little light, are turned into water, oxygen and sugar.)
That transformation from gas to sugar occurs in the chloroplasts of
plant cells, which are highly concentrated in plant leaves.
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But what about Autumn and Winter? Why do some
plants lose their leaves, and how can they survive?
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It takes a lot of energy to create and maintain leaves, and a plant’s energy comes from light.
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During certain seasons, less light reaches the earth’s surface. Plants will reduce the
amount of energy spent on leaf maintenance because the cost outweighs the gain.
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During certain seasons, less light reaches the earth’s surface. Plants will reduce the
amount of energy spent on leaf maintenance because the cost outweighs the gain.
Like hibernating animals, some plants choose to conserve enough
energy to survive until food (light) becomes plentiful again. They
enter a dormant state, drop their leaves, and wait.
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And did we say that plants reproduce? Sexually?
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Correct! Some plants reproduce sexually.
The most obvious examples are flowering plants: The blossoms you see are the
plant’s sex organs.
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You’ll never look at a bouquet of
flowers the same way again!
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The Anatomy of a Flower:
Stigma
Anther
Petal
Ovule
Ovary
Sepal
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Anther
Petal
Ovule
Ovary
Sepal
Receives male gametes (pollen)
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Stigma
Petal
Ovule
Ovary
Sepal
Distributes pollen
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Stigma
Anther
Ovule
Ovary
Sepal
Attracts pollinators
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Stigma
Anther
Petal
Ovary
Sepal
Cell becomes seed when fertilized
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Stigma
Anther
Petal
Ovule
Ovary
Protects young flower (bud)
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Stigma
Anther
Petal
Ovule
Sepal
Organ becomes
fruit if fertilized,
and houses
seeds
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Another weird plant fact?
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Another weird plant fact?
They excel at employing others to aid
them in their dirty work.
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Attracting their work force:
Plants use outside means to spread their offspring. In fact,
you’ve probably been involved in many acts of plant
reproduction without knowing it.
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• Flowers may use shapes, colors, patterns,
and scents to attract insects and animals.
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• These “vectors” then move pollen to the
female organs on the same or different
plants, allowing them to be fertilized.
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• The fruit and seeds produced are then
eaten and excreted by animals after
being carried away to a new location.
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• The fruit and seeds produced are then
eaten and excreted by animals after
being carried away to a new location.
• Vectors may also contribute by
harvesting, burying, or carrying plant
reproductive materials (as you might by
picking flowers, walking on grass, or
brushing a seedpod.)
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And it gets even more strange:
Plants can communicate with one another.
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Plants can send electrical and chemical
signals when threatened or under
attack.
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Scientists are still trying to understand the exact process,
but are now confident that plants come equipped with
multiple communication devices, including chemical
compounds and small electrical signals.
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Scientists are still trying to understand the exact process,
but are now confident that plants come equipped with
multiple communication devices, including chemical
compounds and small electrical signals.
So I was thinking about going
to the salad bar later... Oh, ha ha Louis.
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So plants “breathe,” create food, self-
regulate, hydrate, physically morph to adapt
to changing seasons, reproduce sexually,
utilize a work force of animals, and
communicate with each other.
Anything else?
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Even in death, plants are working.
When a plant dies, it immediately begins enriching the soil with its decomposing
body. The rotting plant is nutrient rich, and it is broken up by worms, insects,
mold, fungi and microorganisms until it is integrated into the soil.
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When a plant dies, it immediately begins enriching the soil with its decomposing
body. The rotting plant is nutrient rich, and it is broken up by worms, insects,
mold, fungi and microorganisms until it is integrated into the soil.
Thus, even in death, a plant is making its environment a better, safer place for
future generations.
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Farmers try to use this process. To enrich their own soil, they will compost plants
and plant products to use as a conditioner between seasons.
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Farmers try to use this process. To enrich their own soil, they will compost plants
and plant products to use as a conditioner between seasons.
And, if given thousands of years, this decomposed material creates beds of
carbon upon which modern human technology is dependent. Unfortunately,
we are using this material more quickly than we are replacing it.
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So consider: How advanced are plants
compared to... Humans?
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As seeds, a young plant is ready to sprout with just a little bit of moisture
and an adequate temperature. Within the body of a seed, the parent
plant has packed food, protection, and an innate sense of direction,
gravity, and survival instincts.
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But when humans are born, they are entirely dependent. Without medical
care, clothing, shelter, clean water, nutritious food, basic education, language,
and monitoring... Humans can’t grow into adults. They die as infants.
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Hence the saying: It takes a village to raise
a child.
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So, while not every seed will grow into a successful plant, no
successful plant in the wild needed “a village” to help it grow.
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And here’s a gruesome thought:
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And here’s a gruesome thought:And here’s a gruesome thought:
We can’t survive without an enormous
population of plants. We would burn
up in our hot atmosphere, suffocate
from lack of oxygen, or die of disease
and starvation.
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And here’s a gruesome thought:And here’s a gruesome thought:
We can’t survive without an enormous
population of plants. We would burn
up in our hot atmosphere, suffocate
from lack of oxygen, or die of disease
and starvation.
Plants, however “simple” you might
find them... Are self-reliant. They don’t
need humankind. They’ll continue to
grow, adapt, reproduce and flourish..
Even when humans are gone.
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So have a little respect.
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So have a little respect.
And take some time to admire the technological genius
...of this.
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You can learn much more at:
www.thedirtsociety.com
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Introduction to Plants and Plant Science (The DIRT Society)

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