Rumex Obtusifolius

6. Describe several adaptations that enable plants to reduce water loss from their leaves. Include both structural and physiological adaptations.

The tendency towards more intense precipitation events is projected to the future. The more precipitation, the more risk of flooding.More heavy downpours may increase the likelihood of property damage, travel delays and disruption in

Despite its importance osmosis may also damage cells by causing them to; a) shrink from water loss or b) burst from too much water gain. Plant cells [fig 3] have adapted themselves to ensure that these factors do not affect them, by forming a ridged wall, known as the cell wall, around their cells. The cell wall maintains the shape of the cell, and prevents the cell from bursting in a hypotonic medium by resisting water pressure. Plant cells have also adapted a larger vacuole, which occupies 80% or more of the cells cytoplasm (Davidson, 2004); allowing plants to store more water and nutrients per cell. Vacuoles also play a structural role in plant cells; by swelling when liquids contact them, plant vacuoles are able to control turgor pressure within the cell. This helps maintain the structural integrity of the cell as well as providing the plant with suitable amounts of water and nutrients; however the cell will never burst because the vacuole is contained within the cell wall. If plant cells are deprived of water their vacuole will begin to shrink, yet due to the cell the wall, the plant cell will be able to maintain its shape. [fig.4] Animal cells [fig 5] on the other hand do not have this

Additional factors that can contribute to flooding include: storms, global warming, the capacity, amount, length and spread of rain over a particular area, the size of waterway to hold excess water, the catchment and climate conditions preceding rainfall, ground cover, topography and tidal impacts.

Observation: In the drier regions of an area, more small plants were observed to be growing compared to wetter regions of an area.

If the floodwaters were a few feet higher than usual, flooding would have the capacity to destroy house, granaries (storehouse for threshed grain), and seeds needed for

Water is the most abundant resource on the planet and is one that is vital to all living organisms. Plants especially depend greatly on water and contain structures in their body in order to use the water efficiently. Water relations is a research field that deals with investigating how environmental factors affect the plant’s usage of the water (Bot 201L lab manual, 2016). A study was conducted to see how low water in the soil affected the uptake of water in Alfalfa leaves and if it had any effect on the plant’s photosynthesis rate. (Abid et al, 2016). It was found that there was a correlation between the photosynthesis rate and the amount of water the leaves would uptake since the stomata on the alfalfa leaves would remain closed (Abid et al, 2016). Since the stomata would close more

Elodea Canadensis, also referred to as American waterweed or common elodea, is an aquatic plant that is usually found in lakes, ponds or even rivers. Elodea helps support aquatic life such as young fish and amphibians by providing shelter and can be consumed as food by ducks and beavers. Elodea, like many other plants, relies upon photosynthesis to acquire its energy and to make food. To determine the importance of light energy in the process of photosynthesis, two Elodea plants were placed inside CO2 saturated water and exposed to different light intensities: one was under full light exposure while another was covered with mesh clothing to reduce the amount of light that it received; the solutions to this plants were then neutralized and compared to a control group which had no Elodea to see the amount of CO2 that each would have left after a period of an hour. The yielded results indicated that under high intensities of light, the Elodea plant photosynthesized and respired at the same rate; and while it was covered, it photosynthesized more because of an indicative decrease in CO2 levels. Therefore light energy is an essential aspect that affects the amount of CO2 that a plant can use in the process of photosynthesis.

Results were recorded after every five minute interval up to twenty minutes. For 0g and 2g of sodium bicarbonate dissolved in water, there were zero leaf chads floating. However, in the solution containing 1g of sodium bicarbonate, there were 2 leaves floating after 5 minutes, 4 leaves floating after 10 and 15 minutes, and the remaining leaf adding up to a total of five leaves floated after 20 minutes. There is a trend in the table for 1g of sodium bicarbonate due to the increase in leaves floating. The results from the lab was plotted on a scatterplot, which contains a trend line.

This image highlights that some regions in Sydney were suffering the flooding after the low pressure system swept down the east coast, Queensland, NSW, the ACT and Tasmania. Also the heavy raining and pale force wind leads numerous trees came down over the roads in Sydney. This circumstance has long-term impacts to the environment and the agriculture. Flooding in key agricultural production areas can lead to widespread damage to crops and fencing and loss of livestock. However, flooding has both negative and positive impacts. Positive impact is to increase fish production and recharge ground water. The negative impacts flooding leads too much sediment and nutrient, destroy habitat and impact the water

"We call them dumb animals, and so they are, for they cannot tell us how they feel, but they do not suffer less because they have no words” (Anna Sewell). There is undeniable evidence that animals are being affected by climate change. Even though the effects are difficult to measure, there are many different ways animals are being affected. With the loss of predator and prey species it affects the life cycles in the food chain. The earth’s climate change causes habitats such as snow, ice, or forest areas to alter, resulting in loss of habitat and food accessibility as well as causing extinction.

Soil does not form easily on trunks and branches and as they are sunnier, windier and better drained than the ground, they suffer both more frequent and more severe droughts. In response to these stressful conditions many epiphytes have evolved modifications enabling them to store water and to reduce its loss by evaporation. Water can be stored internally in special

Seeds remain inactive until the right conditions present themselves for germination. To germinate the seed requires water, oxygen and the perfect temperature. Water and oxygen are taken through the seed coat and cause the seed’s cells to enlarge. A root will then emerge followed by the shoot containing the leaves and stem. Overwatering a seed will prevent oxygen from breaking though the seed coat. In many ecosystems flooding is a regular occurrence and is known to have dire effects on the environment. In extreme conditions floods create the wetlands habitat where plants and animals have adapted to deal with excess

Wood is a porous material because of its cellular structure which allows for many internal voids (Eckelman). The plant cells located within wood are made to absorb water, as it is necessary for the functionality of the tree (“Wood and Water”, 2006). When wood first absorbs water, the water is transported and held within the cell walls. However, as these walls cannot hold a large amount of water, additional water fills the cavities of tubular cells within fibers of the wood. Wood is also categorized as a hygroscopic material. This allows for wood to naturally absorb and dissipate water within its contiguous environment. Density and water diffusivity of the wood affect the rate of absorption of water in wood (Noorolahi, Khazaei, and

All plants are subjected to a multitude of stresses throughout their life cycle. Depending on the species of plant and the source of the stress, the plant will respond in different ways. When a certain tolerance level is reached, the plant will eventually die. When the plants in question are crop plants, then a problem arises. The two major environmental factors that currently reduce plant productivity are drought and salinity (Serrano, 1999), and these stresses cause similar reactions in plants due to water stress. These environmental concerns affect plants more than is commonly thought. For example, disease and insect loss typically decrease crop yields by less than ten percent, but severe