The+private+lives+of+plants+-+Growing

__**o Why do young seedlings of climbers grow away from light?**__ Climbers e.g. Cheese plant: It started to grow horizontally first, growing towards the areas with highest density (least sunlight), in hopes that in the place with lesser sunlight it will find a tree with larger canopy (to gain nutrients first) It feed off its parents’ tree first. When one root (hairy white stuff with root hairs) is“locked” onto its parents’ tree, it starts to grow upwards. The first leaf emerges, hence the plant is slowly able to photosynthesize and manufacture food for itself. With every leaf that emerges, the plant grows stronger, and grows further towards the sunlight. As the leaf is exposed to a higher intensity of sunlight, its surface area increases as well.

__**o What are the forces that cause the leaves to unfold during growth?**__

Hydrostatic pressure.

__**o Why are some of the leaves and leaf stalks “hairy”?**__ Ferns or fronds: Why are they hairy when they are young? When they are young, they are soft and tender, hence they lose water to its surroundings easily. Therefore, they are hairy so a hairy surface will prevent such rapid water loss.

__**o Name as many different types of leaf shape as possible.**__

Cheese plant Five-fingered

__**o Name a few strategies that plants use to gather light.**__ Undergrowth - “indoor plants” These plants grow very well in shade, e.g. Begonia --> some have green surface area on top and red surface area below --> have lenses-like things to focus limited sunlight
 * 1) Crown “shying”: the leaves do not overlap, so that they can maximize maximum sunlight
 * 2) Leaves move constantly during different times of the day so that they can maximize amount of sunlight captured (go where to sun is!)
 * 3) Growth is slow for these leaves growing at the bottom. They wait for the tall trees to die before they can absorb the sunlight which they need.

__**o Why do roots have root hairs? What are their characteristics?**__

Roots also have to position themselves well to obtain maximum amount of water and nutrients. The tip of the roots are the zones of division - they do not have root hairs because they are responsible for elongate themselves deeper into the soil (the root caps are also stronger). Diffusion/ osmosis occurs in the root hairs, so they have to be very thin for easy osmosis and diffusion to take place. The roots have to keep growing root hairs for higher level of intake of water and minerals from the soil.

__**o How much water is loss through the stomata?**__ 90%

__**o How do trees “pump” water up its trunk to the leaves in the canopy layer?**__ Scientists cannot explain the reason how the water was transported up from the roots to the leaves. One reason might probably be the capillary action, another one might be due to the evaporation of water from the leaves. This creates a vacuum which “sucks” the water up.

__**o What are the properties of these “pipes”? What are they called?**__ These are called the xylem tubes. Their characteristics are: 1. Hollow and thin. They have thick walls to sustain the pressure needed to transport water up - compare with the fire hose 2. Has holes so that water can “exit” to different parts of the plant, e.g. leaf for photosynthesis

__**o How do plants prevent the problem of having too much water accumulating on its large leaf surface especially in the tropics?**__ To prevent water from clogging stomata when it rains:

__**o Why do proboscis monkeys have to spend so many hours eating? Why do they have a large belly?**__ For fermentation (digestion) of bacteria found on leaves. __**o How do you tell the difference between a leaf that has been eaten by a caterpillar and that of a grasshopper?**__
 * 1) The leaf must first be strong enough to resist impact of rain
 * 2) Drooping to let water flow down
 * 3) Gutters (“drain-like”lining)
 * 4) Hairy

Caterpillar - cuts off a hole partially and protect itself while scraping off the surface of the lead. Grasshopper - A leaf eaten by a grasshopper resembles that of a caterpillar’s. Commonly grasshopper damage is characterized by rough-edged holes in the leaf's center. Both leaf tissue and veins will be chewed away, although some species will commonly eat only the tissues.

__**o What are the damages that are inflicted on plants? What strategies do these plants employ to protect themselves? Use the examples featured in the show to explain their strategies e.g. Acacia, Nettle, pebble plant, passion flowers, bracken, mimosa, Venus fly trap, marsh pitcher**__

2. Umbrella-shaped canopy - so tall that even the giraffes cannot reach; nettles on the outside surrounding the canopy, whilst the insides do not have nettles. Nettles are sharp; once they prick the skin of animals/humans, they release poison which causes swelling 3. Looks like a pebble 4. Bogus eggs so that butterflies will not lay their eggs there (caterpillars will eat them once the eggs are hatched) 5. Leaves that look like nettles but are not
 * 1) Needle-like spines - but it does not deter the giraffe