New
New
Year 8

Plants are adapted for their environment

I can describe how some plants are adapted to help them survive, and how environmental conditions affect plant biodiversity positively and negatively.

New
New
Year 8

Plants are adapted for their environment

I can describe how some plants are adapted to help them survive, and how environmental conditions affect plant biodiversity positively and negatively.

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Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. Biodiversity is a measure of the range of living organisms.
  2. Living organisms, including plants, have adaptations that help them to survive in their environment.
  3. Examples of physical plant adaptations include shallow or deep roots, and the presence of spines to deter consumers.
  4. Plants can also have behavioural adaptations such as growing towards light.
  5. Changes to the environment can affect plant biodiversity.

Keywords

  • Biodiversity - Biodiversity is the range of different living species that live in a place.

  • Adaptation - An adaptation is a feature that organisms have to help them live in a particular place.

  • Extinction - Extinction is the permanent loss of a species.

  • Conservation - Conservation is the process of protecting biodiversity and the environment.

Common misconception

Pupils often believe that biodiversity is the number of organisms that live in a place, rather than the number of different species that live in a place.

There is extensive coverage in the lesson around biodiversity being the range of species that are found in an area.

Pupils can investigate adaptations of different types of plants in different habitats, or research new species of plant that have been discovered, or have possibly become extinct. Pupils could be creative and design a plant with adaptations that suit the habitat in which it lives.
Teacher tip

Licence

This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2024), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0 except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).

Lesson video

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6 Questions

Q1.
What is a habitat?
It is the range of different living species that live in a place.
It's made up of all the living organisms in a place, interacting with each other
Correct answer: It's the place where an organism lives. It must provide food, water and shelter.
Q2.
Match the word to its meaning.
Correct Answer:Biotic,All the living things in an environment.

All the living things in an environment.

Correct Answer:Abiotic,All the non-living things in an environment.

All the non-living things in an environment.

Q3.
What do plants need to survive?
Correct answer: light
Correct answer: space
a mate
Correct answer: water
Correct answer: nutrients
Q4.
Which of these features are abiotic?
Correct answer: Rocks
Correct answer: Pollution
Decomposers
Correct answer: Air
Q5.
is the process of protecting biodiversity and the environment.
Correct Answer: Conservation, conservation
Q6.
Why is biodiversity important?
Correct answer: A high biodiversity helps to keep ecosystems healthy.
It allows one main species in a habitat.
Humans need to grow large fields of single crops such as wheat to survive.
Correct answer: Organisms interact and rely on each other to meet their needs and survive.
Correct answer: Humans rely on lots of different species for food and medicines.

6 Questions

Q1.
What is biodiversity?
An image in a quiz
The number of plants in a habitat.
The number of animals in a habitat.
Correct answer: The number of different organisms in a habitat.
The number of organisms in a habitat.
Q2.
True or False? Adaptations are physical features
An image in a quiz
True
Correct answer: False
Q3.
Match the plant adaptation to its benefit for the plants survival.
Correct Answer:Waxy leaves,to prevent water loss and wilting

to prevent water loss and wilting

Correct Answer:Long deep roots,to gain water

to gain water

Correct Answer:Produce chemicals ,to stop them being eaten

to stop them being eaten

Correct Answer:Grow towards the light,to obtain light for photosynthesis

to obtain light for photosynthesis

Q4.
Leaves growing towards the light and roots growing downwards towards water are examples of adaptations.
Correct Answer: behavioural
Q5.
Which of the following are the main human causes of biodiversity loss?
floods
Correct answer: climate change
Correct answer: change of land use
forest fires
Correct answer: agriculture and the use of chemicals
Q6.
Which of the following could increase biodiversity?
Correct answer: Conserving habitats in a nature reserve
Planting a field of barley
Deforestation
Correct answer: Creating wild areas in parks and gardens