8 Adaptations in Plants

NCF Competencies Covered:

Expected Learning Outcomes C-1.1, C-1.3, C-4.4 and C-6.1

Knowledge to be gained : • Types of plants • Some non-green plants • Unusual but amazingly
interesting plants • Useful plants
Skill to be developed : • Identifying where a tree may grow by looking at its leaves.
Attitude to be inculcated : • We are all dependant on each other.
Plants grow almost everywhere. They grow on mountain
slopes, on ocean beds, in plains, in deserts and in river
valleys. Plants that grow in one region are generally different
from those that grow in another region.
The temperature, amount of rainfall and the type of soil
differ from one region to another. Therefore, only the plants
that can adapt to the environment of a region grow there.
Have you ever wondered why leaves in a cactus plant are
reduced to spines? Why plants growing in hilly areas are tall
and most of them have needle-shaped leaves? Why do some
plants float on water while others are submerged in it? It is
because plants develop different features in order to survive
in different places. The special features that allow an
organism to live in a particular area are known as
adaptations. For example, the cactus plant is adapted to live
in deserts. That is why its leaves are reduced to spines. In this
chapter, we will discuss about different adaptations in
plants.

TYPES OF PLANTS
Plants can be placed under two major types:
Plants differ greatly
(i) Terrestrial Plants (ii) Aquatic Plants
in different habitats
TERRESTRIAL PLANTS
Plants that grow on land are called terrestrial plants ('terrestrial' means 'of the Earth').
There are different types of terrestrial plants, depending on the place they grow in. Let us
study about them.
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 Plants in Plains
Many different plants grow in the plains. Trees that grow in plains may have several branches
and leaves. Many of these trees can survive in the hot months. They shed most of their leaves
in autumn. For example, banyan, neem, ashok, sheesham, mango, etc.
During summer, these trees are full of leaves. They take full benefit of the sunlight to make
food and store it for later use. The leaves also help the trees to lose water and stay cool during
the hot summers.
Trees that shed their
During winter, when there is not enough sunlight, Do leaves in autumn are
these trees shed their leaves. They consume the food You ? known as deciduous
trees.
stored in their bodies. Know

Ashoka tree Neem tree Banyan tree

Plants in Deserts
Deserts are very hot and have very little rainfall. In
desert areas, only those plants that need very little
water can survive. Plants like cacti, mesquite
bushes, babool trees, keekar trees and date palms
grow in deserts. These plants have developed
certain features that help them to survive the
Mesquite bush severe conditions of the desert:
Ÿ Some desert plants either don't have any leaves or have very few of them. Photosynthesis
is then carried out by the green stems.
Ÿ Some plants have thorns instead of leaves to reduce the loss of water.
Ÿ Some plants store water in their stems, which makes the stems fleshy.

Plants in Hills
Trees growing in cold hilly areas or mountains adapt themselves to survive in cold conditions.
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Trees growing on hills are usually tall, straight, and have a cone shape, so that snow can
easily slide off their leaves. ey are usually owerless and have cones with seeds inside
them. e leaves have a waxy coating to prevent any damage from snow. Some examples are
spruce, deodar and r. Besides trees, small owerless plants like ferns, mosses and lichens
also grow here.
Plants in Marshy Areas
Places where the soil is very sticky and clayey are called marshy areas. It becomes very
difficult for plants to grow here because air is unable to reach the roots. Hence, plants that
grow here, (e.g., mangroves) give out breathing roots to absorb air. The roots of
mangroves grow out of the soil and water. These breathing roots stick out of the water and
have pores (holes) in them for the exchange of gases.
Rhizophore, sundari and tamarind are some other examples.

Deodar Fir Mangroves

Plants in Areas of Heavy Rainfall
These plants have lots of leaves and they remain green almost all year round. These are
called evergreen trees. For example, teak, rubber, cashewnut, etc.
These trees keep replacing their leaves throughout the year. They also appear to be green
throughout the year.

Teak Rubber Cashewnut

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 Plants in Coastal Areas
Plants such as the coconut grow in coastal areas
because they can survive in salty water and prefer
areas of high rainfall. They have to adapt to strong
winds, sandy soil, hot sun and very high humidity
in the air. The seeds of such plants are scattered by
water.

CHECK YOURSELF
Tick (3) the correct option:
1. The cactus plant is adapted to live in:
(a) rivers (b) seas (c) deserts
2. Plants in plains shed most of their leaves in:
(a) autumn (b) winter (c) summer
3. Which of these is an example of an evergreen plant?
(a) Mango (b) Teak (c) Cactus

AQUATIC PLANTS
Plants that grow in water are known as aquatic plants.
They are of three types—Fixed plants, Floating plants and Underwater plants.
Fixed Aquatic Plants
Aquatic plants such as water lily and lotus have
their roots fixed to the bottom of the pond. They
have thin, long and hollow stems to reach the
surface of the water. The leaves of these plants
are broad and flat with a waxy coating on the
Water lily Lotus surface to prevent them from rotting.
Floating Aquatic Plants
Duckweed and water hyacinth are floating
plants. The stems of these plants are light
and spongy so that they can float on water.
Water Hyacinth Duckweed
Underwater Aquatic Plants
These plants grow under the water surface and
have thin and narrow leaves, without any stomata.
The leaves absorb carbon dioxide and oxygen
directly through their surface. Hydrilla, tape grass
Hydrilla Tape Grass and pondweed are the common examples.
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SOME NON-GREEN PLANTS
Some plants like mushrooms, toadstools,
fungi and moulds are non-green because
they do not have chlorophyll. Such plants
cannot make their own food and usually
absorb food from other plants. Such plants
are called parasitic plants. Morel Mushroom Mushroom

UNUSUAL BUT AMAZINGLY INTERESTING PLANTS

There are some unusual plants like venus flytrap, sundew and pitcher plants that eat
insects. Their leaves are modified to capture insects. Such plants are called insectivorous
plants.

Venus flytrap Pitcher plant

In a pitcher plant, the leaf is modified into a pitcher-like

Insec vorous
structure. The leaf tip is modified to form a lid that can open Do plants are green
and close the mouth of the pitcher. Once an insect enters the You ? and can carry out
photosynthesis.
pitcher, the lid closes and the insect gets trapped inside. Know

CHECK YOURSELF
Tick (3) the correct option:
1. How many types of aquatic plants are there?
(a) Two (b) Three (c) Four
2. Which of these is not a fixed plant?
(a) Water lily (b) Lotus (c) Duckweed
3. Which of these is an underwater plant?
(a) Hydrilla (b) Water hyacinth (c) Water lettuce

ADAPTATIONS FOR PROTECTION

Plants also adapt to protect themselves from outside danger.

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 Ÿ Poison: To protect themselves from being
eaten up by animals, some plants such as
poison ivy have poison in them. If we touch
their leaves, it makes our skin itch.
Ÿ Spines: Plants like roses and cacti have
thorns on their body to protect themselves
from being eaten by animals.
Poison ivy
Ÿ Movement: The mimosa plant, commonly known as touch me not or
chhui mui, closes its leaves when touched. This scares the animals away.
USEFUL PLANTS
1. Generally, all animals depend on plants for food. We get fruits, oils, vegetables, sugar,
cereals, pulses, nuts, spices, etc., from plants. Tea, coffee and cocoa beans are also
obtained from plants.
2. Trunks of trees like sheesham, teak, sal, etc., give us wood for making furniture.
3. Many plants like tulsi, eucalyptus, neem, etc., give us medicines.
4. Plant fibres like cotton and jute are used to make clothes, carpets, sacks, etc.
5. The juice of acacia (keekar) is used to make gum.
6. Stems of bamboo plant are used to make paper.
7. Vegetable oils, for soaps and shampoos also come from plants.
8. Paint also contains substances obtained from plants.

CHECK YOURSELF
Tick (3) the correct option:
1. The leaves of insectivorous plants are modified to capture:
(a) insects (b) water (c) fruits
2. Mosses and lichens are _______________ plants.
(a) big (b) flowerless (c) aquatic
3. Non-green plants do not have:
(a) chlorophyll (b) stem (c) roots

NEW WORDS
Adaptation : ability to adjust to the surroundings
Terrestrial plants : plants that grow on land
Evergreen : trees that have green leaves throughout the year
Aquatic plants : plants that grow in water
Insectivorous plants : plants that eat insects
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 SUMMARY
v Generally, all animals depend on plants for food.
v The special features that allow an organism to live in a particular area are known as
adaptations.
v Plants that grow on land are called terrestrial plants.
v In desert areas, only those plants that need very little water can survive.
v The roots of mangroves grow out of soil and water.
v Plants that grow in water are known as aquatic plants.
v Duckweed and water hyacinth are floating plants.
v Plants that eat insects are called insectivorous plants.

Exercise
A. Name the following:
1. A tree growing on hills. ________________
2. A plant growing in desert areas. ________________
3. An insectivorous plant. ________________
4. A non-green plant. ________________
B. Select the best alternative for each of the following:
1. Which among the following is a non-green plant?
(i) Hydrilla (ii) Mushroom
(iii) Pitcher plant (iv) Oak
2. The stem of a cactus plant is:
(i) very thin (ii) woody
(iii) brown (iv) fleshy
3. Underwater plants breathe through their body surface as they do not have:
(i) chlorophyll (ii) stomata
(iii) roots (iv) leaves
C. Cross out the wrong ones:
1. Cactus plant is adapted to live in deserts/oceans.
2. Terrestrial/Aquatic plants grow on land.
3. Duckweed and water hyacinth are fixed/floating/underwater plants.

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 D. Answer the following questions:
1. What is adaptation?
2. What are evergreen plants?
3. What are the adaptations of plants that grow in plains?
4. How is a coconut tree adapted to grow in coastal areas?
5. Name some plants that adapt to protect themselves from outside dangers.
E. Fill in the blanks with the correct words:
1. ____________ is a carnivorous plant. (Pitcher plant/Acacia)
2. ____________ remains green almost throughout the year. (Teak/Fir)
3. Lotus is an ____________ plant. (aquatic/insectivorous)
4. Plants that grow on land are called ____________ plants. (aquatic/terrestrial)
5. The ____________ of the cactus plant usually becomes green and carries out
photosynthesis. (leaf/stem)
6. ____________ tree grows on mountains. (Coconut/Spruce)
F. True or False:
1. Plants can make their own food. _________
2. Lotus and water lily are non-green plants. _________
3. Coconut tree can grow very well in desert areas. _________
4. Fir is a cone-shaped tree that grows well on mountains. _________
5. Sundew and pitcher plants are insectivorous plants. _________
6. Cactus plants can grow very well in places with abundant water. _________
G. Match the following:
1. Paper (a) cinchona
2. Neem (b) deserts
3. Venus Flytrap plant (c) sheds its leaves once a year
4. Cactus (d) insects
5. Medicinal Plant (e) bamboo
H. Answer the following questions in your own words:
1. Why are some plants non-green? How do these plants get their food?
2. Write the three types of aquatic plants.
3. What are insectivorous plants?
4. How are mangroves suited to live in swampy areas?
5. How is the leaf of a pitcher plant modified to capture insects?
6. Differentiate between terrestrial and aquatic plants.
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 Activity Time
Class Project NCF C-1.3, C-6.2
Divide the class into four teams. Each team should take four different plants and their seeds
or seedlings. Each team can then choose a small space to plant these seeds or seedlings in
the ground. Each team will prepare a scrapbook on their plants.
Describe the parts—leaves, stem, flower, seeds and fruits (if any)—of your team's plant.
Draw pictures if needed. Does it show any special adaptation? Find out more about where it
grows best.

Communication
Let Us Visit
Nowadays, most of the families order food from
restaurants occasionally. Just like food prepared in
the leaves of a tree is transported throughout the
plant by the stem and branches, similarly, food
prepared in a restaurant is delivered to families living
in a locality through delivery boys.
Visit a restaurant with your parents and discuss with
the owner of the restaurant how they get orders from
customers (through phone calls or mobile apps), how
their chefs pack the food items and how the delivery
boys take them out for delivery.

Be a Young
Researcher NCF C-6.2

Water Hyacinth Weaving

e water hyacinth, found in abundance in water bodies, is
woven into a wide array of products, from bags to yoga
mats. e craft of water hyacinth weaving has been
providing a source of revenue to thousands of artisans.
e raw substance is geared up by sun-drying its stems, and stems of 24-30 inches are
preferably chosen. ey are sun-dried for seven to eight days and then compressed to arrange
them for weaving. ese are then even woven in looms to make products like yoga mats.
Find out more about it and prepare a report.
FOOTNOTE
• Discuss about various kinds of plants and trees, especially those that grow in water.
• Bring a cross-section of lotus stem to show the air spaces to the children. You will find these at a vegetable seller's shop.
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