Lesson 4: Plants As Producers

Reflection/Synthesis:
Answer the following questions in your blog post. Remember to have at least one follow-up sentence for each question, when possible.

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. The chlorophyll absorbs the light energy, and then uses it as plant energy. 
2. Plants get their matter from carbon dioxide. Without it plants would not be able to produce matter to grow.
3. Plants get their food from the sun (like I explained in answer 1). Plants also get nutrients and minerals from the soil. 
4. Plants are called producers because they produce life and the food web. Without plants herbivores couldn't eat; and without herbivores, carnivores would have very few animals to eat. Everything would eventually die out then.
5. If plants didn't have a way to get energy then they would die. And if plants died then everything would die. (Like I explained in answer 4).
6. If their were no plants to eat almost all animals would die out. Herbivores would be gone first. Lots of the time carnivores eat herbivores. Omnivores would be hunted more and would have also lost half of all their food. So plants are important.
7. One living components of the plant system are the  leaves. The leaves are obviously alive. They soak up sunlight, which gives the plant energy.
8. Some non living components of the plant system are: the soil, water, sun, oxygen, and carbon dioxide.
9. The sun and the leaves interact. The water and soil interact; then the plant interacts with the water filled soil. 
10. Water, carbon dioxide and nutrients are brought into the plant to help the plant survive. Oxygen is transported out of the plant; as the the plant "exhales" oxygen.