Plant Adaptations to Climate

Suggested grade level: High school biology

Objective: Students will write about how the structures of plants make them more or less adapted to Utah’s climate and then classify plants according to their evolutionary adaptations.

Curriculum ties: �HighschoolScienceBiologyStandard3Objective1a-d,Objective2a-e,Standard5Objective3 a-c

Time needed: �Prep:2hours �Pretrip:3hours,spreadoutoverseveralweeks �Garden:1-2hours �Posttrip:2-3hoursinoroutsideofclass

Materials needed: �Examplesofplantsnativetodifferentclimates,suchasacactus,tropicalhouseplant,gardenplantlikerosesortomatoes,andanativeplant.

�Picturesoftheseplantsatdifferenttimesoftheyear,suchasinflowerorduringdormancy,would also be helpful.

�Acontainerforwateringthatismarkedwithouncesormilliliters,suchasamarkedpitcherora liquid measuring cup

�Notebooksforrecordingwateramountsandhoursofsunlight�Abookthattellsstudentsalittlebitabouteachplant,likeasimpleplantencyclopedia,

would also be useful �Plantcollectionlogpage(attached)

Teacher notes:In this activity students will learn about how native plants are adapted to Utah’s climate. You will needtopresentthestudentswithbasicinformationaboutUtah’sclimate,likeaveragedaysofsunlight,averageinchesofrain,andaveragenumberofdaysbelowfreezing.Thisinformationcanbe found at http://www.utahweather.org/.

Studentswillneedtoknowaboutthebasicstructuresofplants,likeroots,leavesorneedles,flowers,fruits,andvascularsystemsandwhattheirfunctionsare.Theywillalsoneedtounderstandthatplantsare adapted to the climate where they are native.

Procedures:PreparationCall801-565-4314toscheduleyourvisittotheConservationGardenParkatJordanValley.

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In the classroomStudentswillcomparethestructureofplantsfromavarietyofecosystems,suchascacti,tropicalplants(suchashouseplants),gardenplants,andnativeplants.Studentsshouldobservetheleavesofeachoftheplants.Howaretheydifferent?Howaretheythesame?Whatabouttheflowers?(Picturesmaybenecessary.)Keeprecordsofhowmuchwaterandsunlighteachneedstobehealthyoverthecourseofseveralweeksifpossible.ComparethistoUtah’sclimate.Basedonthiscomparison,whichplantsdoyou think are best adapted for Utah’s climate? Which are worst? Find out where the plants are from originally,andguesswhattheclimatemustbeliketherefortheplantstobewelladaptedtotheirnativeclimate.

Field tripTheGardenguidewilltellstudentsmoreaboutUtah’sclimateandwhichplantsarebestadaptedtoit,especiallyinregardstowaterusage.UsingthePlantCollectionLog,studentswillobserveanddiagramthestructuresofvariousplantsthattheyfindattheGardenandclassifythembasedontheiradaptations.RelevantareasoftheGardenarethe“HighMountainDesertLandscape”andthe“WoodlandLandscape.”Ifthegroupisrelativelysmall,alargedisplayofindoorplantscanbeseenintheAdministrationBuilding.Studentswilluseakey,availableattheGarden,toidentifysomeoftheplants.

How are each adapted to survive? Which are best adapted to Utah’s climate?

Follow upStudentswillwriteaboutwhyusingplantsthatareadaptedtoUtah’sclimateisanadvantage,andwhichplantstheywouldsuggestpeopleuseinUtah,basedontheirsuitabilityfortheclimate.TheGardenwebsite can be used as a resource: http://www.ConservationGardenPark.org.

Assessment:Thestudents’Gardenobservationsandwrittenreportswillindicatetheirunderstandingofnativeplants’ adaptations to Utah’s climate.

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