PLANTS GROWTH AND NUTRITION (UNIT 4)

UNIT 4: PLANT GROWTH AND NUTRITION

Remember

Plants have:

Roots anchor plants to the ground. They absorb water and minerals from the soil.

A stem holds up the plant and transport water and other substances from the roots to the leaves.

Leaves are the organs of the plant that perform photosynthesis.

What do plants need?

Plants are living things, so they need food to get nutrients and energy.

Unlike animals, plants make their own food. In order to do this, plants need light, water, air and mineral salts.

Light is essential for plants to grow. All plants need it to make their food.

Plants cannot live without water, they need it to make their food too.

Each kind of plant need more or less water or light than others.

Air. Plants take in carbon dioxide to make their food and throw out oxygen.

Mineral salts. They are usually dissolved in water. Fertile soil is humid and rich in mineral salts. Poor soil is dry and has less mineral salts.

Temperature is important too.

Plant nutrition

Plants take in substances from the soil (water and mineral salts) and from air (carbon dioxide).

Plants make their own food: raw sap combines with carbon dioxide and transforms into elaborated sap through photosynthesis.

Nutrients are transported through tubes called phloem vessels.

Plants respiration: Plants take in oxygen and release carbon dioxide day and night. Through photosynthesis plants take in carbon dioxide and release oxygen during the day. Plants combine oxygen with nutrients to produce energy for growth.