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Contributor: Elephango Editors. Lesson ID: 12833
We step on them. Cows eat them. Houses are made of them. We can't live without them. Plants are essential for life, and there's more to them than meets the eye! Get to know this large complex family!
Take a deep breath.
Thank a plant. From the moss between sidewalk cracks to trees touching the sky, plants are everywhere, working hard and looking good doing it.
Dig into the wild world of plants and discover what makes them grow, survive, and thrive!
What Makes a Plant a Plant?
Plants are everywhere - towering redwoods, tiny mosses, swaying seaweed. They may look different, but all plants share one superpower: they make their own food.
That's right - plants are photosynthetic autotrophs. This means they use sunlight to create energy through a process called photosynthesis.
How Photosynthesis Works
Plants take in sunlight, water, and carbon dioxide. Inside their cells, special structures called chloroplasts use these ingredients to make glucose (a kind of sugar) for energy.
They also release oxygen into the air—yes, the same oxygen you're breathing right now!
Think of chloroplasts like tiny green solar panels. They're packed with chlorophyll, a green pigment that captures sunlight.
Inside a Plant Cell
Plant cells have unique parts.
Chloroplasts make food through photosynthesis.
The cell wall is a rigid outer layer that gives the cell shape and strength.
The nucleus and organelles control cell functions and keep everything running smoothly, just like in other eukaryotic cells.
Not all plants are green!
Some have pigments that create red, blue, or purple shades, especially visible in fall leaves when chlorophyll fades away.
Two Main Types of Plants
Scientists classify plants based on how they move water and nutrients.
Vascular Plants
These plants have built-in transport systems called xylem (moves water) and phloem (moves food). It's like having highways running through their stems and leaves!
Try it yourself: Place a stalk of celery in colored water. After a few hours, you'll see the color rise—proof that the vascular system is hard at work.
Nonvascular Plants
These simple plants don't have transport tubes. They stay small and close to the ground, soaking up water directly from their surroundings. Examples include mosses and liverworts.
How Plants Reproduce
Plants have different ways of making more plants, and this helps scientists group them further.
Nonvascular plants use spores—tiny cells carried by wind or water that can grow into new plants.
Vascular plants can be gymnosperms or angiosperms.
Gymnosperms grow seeds in cones (like pine trees). The seeds are not protected by flowers.
Angiosperms are flowering plants. Their flowers help attract pollinators to spread pollen and grow seeds.
The next time you see a pine cone or a bright flower, remember—it's part of the plant's big plan for growing the next generation!
Quick Recap
All plants make their food through photosynthesis.
Plants are made of eukaryotic cells with chloroplasts and a cell wall.
Vascular plants have transport systems (xylem and phloem); nonvascular plants do not.
Plants reproduce using spores, seeds in cones, or flowers.
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