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Science 4: Plant Structures 33 Views


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Description:

How do plants work? We tried asking the willow tree in our back yard, but it's giving us the silent treatment.

Language:
English Language

Transcript

00:03

[Dino and Coop singing]

00:12

Plants seem pretty simple, right? [Plant blowing in the wind]

00:15

After all, they just kinda shoot out of the ground and sit around all day. [Plant appears]

00:18

Sounds like the easiest life ever.

00:21

Sign us up.

00:22

Oh, but before we sign up, maybe we should dig a little deeper into the secret life of [Plant is dug up]

00:25

plants…

00:26

As it turns out there's a lot going on that we can't see.

00:29

If we take a look under the hood there are all sorts of intricate structures that keep

00:33

plants growing and living.

00:34

Let's start at the bottom with the roots.

00:36

One of their main jobs is to pull water and minerals from the ground, then deliver it [Water and minerals travel up the roots]

00:40

to the stems and leaves of the plant.

00:42

They also give support to the plant by anchoring it to the ground, meaning it won't just fall [Anchor appears]

00:46

over or blow away due to the slightest breeze. [Plant leans over in the wind]

00:48

Which is both good for the plant, and good for anyone who would rather not be hit in

00:53

the face by hundreds of plants on a windy day. [Man is hit by plants and falls over]

00:56

Next comes the stem.

00:57

It keeps the plant upright once it shoots above ground...

01:00

…and it's also in charge of transporting water, minerals, and sugar through the plant,

01:04

like a miniature highway system. [Water, minerals and sugar travelling through the plant]

01:06

And luckily, the commute from the roots to the leaves is pretty short, so there's never [Traffic jam on the highway]

01:10

any fear of getting stuck in a huge traffic jam!

01:13

The stem itself is made up of two internal structures that move all the water, minerals,

01:16

and sugar around…they go by xylem and phloem. [Arrows point to the different transportation systems]

01:21

The xylem moves the water and minerals up from the roots all the way up to the leaves…

01:24

…while the phloem moves sugars downward.

01:27

And you might be wondering: where did those sugars come from?

01:30

Well, as cute as it would be, there isn't some kindly old granny that hands out sugar [Woman dropping sugar cubes into a plant]

01:34

cubes to plants.

01:35

The plants actually make the sugars all by themselves, with their leaves.

01:40

How?

01:41

Through photosynthesis, a process that also helps the plant to get rid of oxygen and take [The sun appears]

01:45

in carbon dioxide.

01:46

…Hm.

01:47

We're not sure we want to be a plant anymore…we kinda like oxygen… [Womans head on a plant can't breathe]

01:51

Another important part of plants is the flower.

01:53

Its function is to attract pollinators, which are important in plant reproduction. [Bee lands on a sunflower]

01:57

Unfortunately, flowers do also on occasion attract shear-wielding gardeners. [Man appears with shears]

02:01

It's not quite a perfect system.

02:03

And last but not least, plants also rely on fruits and seeds. [An apple tree]

02:06

The seed itself produces offspring…

02:08

…while the fruit protects the seeds. [Apple holding a sword]

02:10

So next time your parents go to the grocery store, be sure to ask them to pick up some

02:14

fresh "Plant Offspring Protectors."

02:16

Mmm…sounds delicious. [Parents look confused]

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