RESPIRATION

Like all living things, plants breathe. They take oxygen from the air, and release carbon dioxide. This exchange of gases is called respiration. It takes place in leaves continually, day and night.

PLANT NUTRITION

Plants obtain food in a different way from animals. Plants are autotrophs: they make their own food. To make food, plants need sunlight, carbon dioxide, water and minerals from the soil.

WATER AND MINERALS

Water and minerals are important for plant nutrition. In the soil, minerals dissolve in water. Plants absorb this water through their roots. These nutrients, called raw sap, travel up the stem to the leaves.

PHOTOSYNTHESIS

Photosynthesis enables plants to make food from sunlight, carbon dioxide, water and minerals.

Photosynthesis takes place in the leaves. In the leaves, raw sap mixes with carbon dioxide and becomes elaborated sap. This is the plant´s food.

Sunlight is essential for photosynthesis, so it only takes place during the day. During photosynthesis, plants release oxygen.

ACTIVITY "PLANT NUTRITION"

COPY THE SENTENCES AND COMPLETE THEM WITH THE CORRECT WORDS

 oxygen  food  stem  minerals  gases  leaves  respiration

1. Oxygen and carbon dioxide are..respiration.
2. Plants breathe through their ...leaves
3. When they breathe, plants take...oxigen......from the air and release carbon dioxide.
4. The exchange of gases is called ...respiration
5. Plants make their own ...food
6. Water and .minerals...... are important for plant nutrition.
7. In plants, nutrients travel up the ...roots...... to the leaves.

PLANT GROUPS

Plants have roots, stem and leaves.

The roots are in the soil. Water and other substances are absorbed from the soil through the roots.

The stem supports the leaves. Water and nutrients are transported from the roots to the leaves inside the stem.

The leaves breathe and make the plant´s food.

FLOWERING PLANTS

Flowering plants are the biggest group of plants.

- Gymnosperms have small flowers, but no fruit. Their seeds are all together in cones. Almost all gymnosperms are trees, such as pine trees.

- Angiosperms have flowers and fruit. Chestnut trees and some grasses are angiosperms.

NON-FLOWERING PLANTS

Non-flowering plants are the smallest group of plants. They need shade and moisture.

-Mosses are small plants which live on rocks, trees and the ground.

- Ferns are larger than mosses. They have thick, underground stems and big leaves.

ACTIVITY "PLANTS"

READ THESE QUESTIONS AND WRITE THE ANSWERS

1. Which is the biggest group of plants?
2. Which is the smallest?
3. Plants have roots, a stem and ... what else?
4. What does the stem transport to the leaves?
5. What do the leaves make?
6. Where do we find ferns and mosses?