Ecosystems Lesson 4: Plants as Producers

Reflection Questions

1. Plants need energy and matter to grow. Where do plants get their ENERGY?
2. Where do plants get their MATTER?
3. Where do plants get their FOOD (be careful - this is a trick question)?
4. Why are plants called Producers?
5. What would happen if plants didn't have a way to get energy?
6. What would happen to animals if there were no plants to eat?
7. What are some of the LIVING components of a plant "system"? (A plant "system" is everything that a plant needs to survive and everything it produces.)
8. What are some of the NON-LIVING components of a plant "system"?
9. In what ways do the components of the system interact?
10. What matter is transported in and out of the plant system?

Answers

1.  Plants get their energy from the sun. Without the sun, plants would never be able to grow.
2. Plants get their matter from carbon dioxide. Carbon dioxide is like what we breathe in, oxygen. For plants, they need carbon dioxide. I can infer this because the day we got back in after spring break. Mr. Solarz' plants weren't looking to well. I remember Mr. Solarz said he came in once during spring break to water the plants. Then I thought that people weren't in here giving plants what they need: carbon dioxide. When people are in the room, they breathe out carbon dioxide.
3. Plants get food form the sun. Food gives us energy and the plant's energy is the sun. That is how I inferred. They also get food from the soil because soil has important nutrients for the plant.
4. Plants are called producers because they produce their own food. They do this light from the sun, carbon dioxide from the air, and soil. This helps the plant survive.
5.The plants would not be able to grow. It is common sense, really. You can't grow a plant without sunlight, soil,and water. Another thing that could happen is that it could affect the food web. If there were no plants, some animals would starve to death. Without the animal that eats plants, an animal that eats the animals that eats the plant,s would die too. Woo, that came out fast! :)
6. Oops, said it in 5. (above) :)
7. The root. The root of the plant helps get soil from the ground to the plant. Also leaves help plants, too. Leaves soak up sunlight and gives the plant sunlight.
8. The nonliving components are all described and showed on the thinglink. Oxygen, carbon dioxide, soil, the sun, and water. I may be wrong on this one. I couldn't decide if the sun was a living or a non-living thing.
9. The water interacts with the soil. "Water seeps into soil." Leaves interact with the sun "Leaves collect sunlight from the sun." The plant also interacts with the soil filled with water. "By getting water into the plant's roots."
​10. Carbon dioxide, water and nutrients from the soil is transported into the plant and Oxygen is transported out of the plant. Oxygen is pretty much what the plant breathes out.