Gas leakage detector project

Conservatory of FlowersUpdated: 6/14Plant AdaptationsWhat does Adaptation mean?The special characteristics that enable plants and animals to be successful in a particular environment are called adaptations.Camouflage, as in a toad's ability to blend in with its surroundings, is a common example of an adaptation. The spines on cycad leaves, keep animals from eating them. These special features have evolved over long periods of time, through the process of natural selection. Adaptations afford the organism a better chance to survivein its surroundings. Adaptations help a plant to:Get Sunlight, Water, Air, or NutrientsNot be eatenStay attached to a tree or rooted in the groundReproduceTropical Rainforest Adaptations Theclimate of the tropical rainforest is hot and wet. With over 80 inches of rain per year, as opposed to San Francisco’s 21 inches, plants have adaptations that enable them to shed water efficiently. The leaves of many rainforest plants have drip tips for this purpose. Buttress and stilt roots are thought to provide extra support for trees growing in spongy, wet soils. Tropical rainforest plants also have adaptations to take in what little sunlight is available on the dark forest floor. Large leaves are common; they increase the amountof sunlight a plant can absorb.Other plants, like orchids, bromeliads and ferns, grow as epiphyteshigh up in the canopy where there is more sunlight. BarkIn drier, temperate deciduous forests a thick bark helps to limit moisture evaporation from the tree's trunk. Since this is nota concern in the high humidity of tropical rainforests, most trees have a thin, smooth bark. The smoothness of the bark may also make it difficult for other plants to grow on their surface. (Goal = Sunlight, Example: scarlet flame beanin Lowlands)LianasLianas are climbing woody vines that drape rainforest trees. They have adapted to life inthe rainforest by having roots in the ground and climbing high into the tree canopy to reach available sunlight.Many lianas start life in the rainforest canopy and send roots down to the ground. (Goal = Sunlight, Example: Imperial Philodendron)
Conservatory of FlowersUpdated: 6/14Drip TipsThe leaves of forest trees have adapted to cope with exceptionally high rainfall. Many tropical rainforest leaves have a drip tip. It is thought that these drip tips enable rain drops to run off quickly, sometimes serving a secondary purpose of directing water to the plant’s roots. Plants need to shed water to avoid growth of fungus and bacteria in the warm, wet tropical rainforest. (Goal = Sunlight, Example: African mask)ButtressesMany large trees have massive ridges near the base that can rise 30 feet high before blending into the trunk. Why do they form? Buttress roots provide extra stability, especially since roots of tropical rainforest trees are not typically as deep as those of trees in temperate zones.(Goal = Stay Put, Example: kapokin Lowlands)Prop and Stilt RootsProp and stilt roots help give support and are characteristic of tropical palms growing in shallow, wet soils. Although the tree grows fairly slowly, these above-ground roots can grow 28 inches a month. (Goal = Stay Put, Example: stilt palmin Lowlands)BromeliadsBromeliads are found almost exclusively in the Americas. Some grow in the ground, like pineapple, but most species grow onthe branches of trees. Their leaves form a vase or tank that holds water. Small roots anchor plants to supporting branches, and their broad leaf bases form a water-holding tank or cup. The tank's capacity ranges from half a pint to gallons. The tanks support a thriving eco-system of bacteria, protozoa, tiny crustaceans, mosquito and dragonfly larvae, tadpoles,birds, salamanders and frogs. Bromeliads give them a home and gain nutrients from the feces of these creatures.A symbiotic relationship.