Flowering is an essential part of a plant's life cycle, and getting the timing and placement of flowering right can mean the difference between making lots of seeds for the next generation (success!) and none at all (EPIC fail). In this lesson, students will explore the genes that help Arabidopsis plants decide that it's time to make flowers. Once a plant makes the decision to flower, other genes must signal the right parts of the plants to develop into flowers. When this signaling is interrupted, very strange things can happen! Stay tuned to find out more about this lesson.
Labelling Requirements and Label Claims for Dietary Supplements and Recommend...
How Flowers Help Plants Reproduce
1. H O W D O E S A P L A N T K N O W WH E N T O F L O WE R ?
LEAFY UFOs
2. Warm-Up
Take a moment to consider the following questions:
1. When have you ever given or received flowers?
2. What is your favorite flower, and why?
3. Your thoughts on flowers
When have you given or
received flowers? Favorite type of flower?
4. Jean Giraudoux* on Flowers
“The flower is the poetry of reproduction.
It is an example of the eternal seductiveness of life.”
*Jean
Giraudoux
was a French
poet in the
early 20th
century
Discuss the above quote with a partner. How does this quote
connect with what we have already discussed about flowers?
5. What are flowers for?
We often think of flowers as a gift for someone
special to us.
But plants make flowers for a really important reason
that has nothing to do with people:
Flowers are the way that plants reproduce sexually.
6. Anatomy of a Flower
This flower has male and female parts. Find and circle the words
that suggest which part is male and which is female.
7. Why do we care about flowers?
Fruits are the products of flowers.
8. Why do we care about flowers?
Fruits are the products of flowers.
9. Why do we care about flowers?
Fruits are the products of flowers.
10. Why do we care about flowers?
Fruits are the products of flowers.
11. Why do we care about flowers?
Fruits are the products of flowers.
12. Why do we care about flowers?
Fruits are the products of flowers.
13. Why do we care about flowers?
Fruits are the products of flowers.
14. Why do we care about flowers?
Fruits are the products of flowers.
15. Why do we care about flowers?
Fruits are the products of flowers.
16. Why do we care about flowers?
Fruits are the products of flowers.
17. Why do we care about flowers?
Fruits are the products of flowers.
18. Why do we care about flowers?
Fruits are the products of flowers.
19. Why do we care about flowers?
Fruits are the products of flowers.
20. Why do we care about flowers?
Fruits are the products of flowers.
**Wheat, rice, corn, beans, and many other staple
foods also come from flowering plants!**
25. Problem:
Global climate change affects when and how plants
flower, which will also affect when and how they
make fruit.
In order to address these issues, we will
need to study plants and how they
grow, make flowers, and set fruit.
26. To Understand Flowers, We need to
Observe Plants!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=spkA1f5FmxY
Watch this video
showing
Arabidopsis growth
and make
observations about
the plant on the
left, the plant on
the right, and both
plants.
28. What is the difference between these two
plants?
Hypotheses about why these plants grow so
differently:
29. What is the difference between these two
plants?
Hypotheses about why these plants grow so
differently:
These two plants are exactly the same with one
exception. The plant on the right has a mutation
in one of its genes.
30. The plant on the right has a mutation in its
DNA that causes it to grow differently
Editor's Notes
At this point, the teacher could opt to set up a flower dissection lab or demonstrate the parts of a flower with an actual flower with students in addition to showing this slide.