Year 6 Science: Adaptations of plants
Part of the Year 6 Science offspring, adaptation and evolution chapter. Chapter overview · whole chapter on one page
Adaptations of plants
Plants are adapted to their environments too. Some plants live where water is scarce, and some live where it is cold, shady or windy.
- A cactus has spines instead of leaves, and a thick stem that stores water. The spines reduce water loss.
- A pine has thin needles, which lose less water than broad leaves, and it keeps them through the winter.
Plants adapted to dry places are not the same as plants adapted to wet or cold places.
Key ideas
- A cactus has spines and a thick stem that stores water.
- Spines and needles have a small surface area, so less water is lost.
- Plants are adapted to the water, light and temperature of their environment.
- Adaptations of plants are different in different places.
Method. Read the cactus description.
- Read the description. A cactus has spines instead of leaves and a thick stem that stores water.thick stem
- Write the words. So the adaptation is a thick stem that stores water.a thick stem
- Write the answer. a thick stem that stores water
Check. Spines also help reduce water loss. ✓
Method. Think about water loss.
- Think about surface. Thin needles have a small surface area.small surface
- Think about water. So less water is lost from the needles.less water
- Write the answer. to lose less water
Check. Thin needles help the pine survive the cold and dry winter. ✓
Method. Read the cactus description.
- Read the description. The thick stem stores water, and the spines protect it.thick stem
- Write the word. So the part that stores water is the stem.stem
- Write the answer. stem
Check. Leaves are not used for storage in a cactus. ✓
Watch out
Watch out: a cactus has spines, which are not leaves, and its stem does the work of storing water. Do not describe the spines as leaves.
Exam tip
Exam tip. Name the plant feature, then say what it helps the plant to do in its environment.
Try it (with your teacher, or a grown-up at home). Look at a plant at home or school, with a grown-up. Feel the leaves, if they are safe to touch, and notice whether they are thick or thin, smooth or hairy. Wash your hands afterwards. Say how one feature could help it in its environment.
Exercise 6D Adaptations of plants
Method. Read the cactus description.
- Read the description. A cactus has spines instead of leaves.spines
- Write the answer. spines
Check. Spines reduce water loss. ✓
Method. Read the description.
- Read the description. The thick stem stores water.water
- Write the answer. water
Check. Cacti live in dry places. ✓
Method. Read the description.
- Read the description. A pine has thin needles instead of broad leaves.needles
- Write the answer. needles
Check. Needles are thin. ✓
Method. Compare the shapes.
- Compare. Thin needles have a smaller surface than broad leaves.smaller
- Decide. So the surface area is small.small
- Write the answer. small
Check. Less surface means less water is lost. ✓
Method. Read the description.
- Read the description. A cactus has spines instead of leaves.instead of leaves
- Decide. So the answer is no.no
- Write the answer. no
Check. Its spines are not leaves. ✓
Method. Think about the features.
- Think about the features. The spines and thick stem help the cactus keep water.keep water
- Decide. So the cactus is adapted to a dry place.yes
- Write the answer. yes
Check. These features suit dry conditions. ✓
Method. Read the description.
- Read the description. The pine keeps its thin needles through the winter.through the winter
- Write the name. So the plant is the pine.pine
- Write the answer. pine
Check. A cactus is not described as losing its spines. ✓
Method. Read the cactus description.
- Read the description. The spines reduce water loss.reduce water loss
- Write one word. The word is spines.spines
- Write the answer. spines
Check. The spines have a small surface. ✓
Method. Think about the features.
- Think about the features. The cactus stores water and reduces water loss, which suits a dry place.dry place
- Decide. So Sam is not right.no
- Write the answer. no
Check. Its adaptations suit dry places. ✓
Method. Think about the shade.
- Think about the leaves. Broad leaves have a large surface that catches as much light as possible.large surface
- Write the word. So the leaves catch light.light
- Write the answer. light
Check. Broad leaves help a plant survive in shade. ✓
Method. Think about water.
- Think about the store. The thick stem stores water.stores water
- Think about the desert. In a desert, water is scarce, so a store helps the cactus to survive.scarce
- Write the answer. Accept any sentence that says the thick stem stores water, which the cactus can use when water is scarce.
Check. A store helps survival in a dry place. ✓
Method. Think about water loss.
- Think about the needles. Thin needles have a small surface, so less water is lost.less water
- Think about winter. This helps the pine survive when water is hard to get.survive
- Write the answer. Accept any sentence that says thin needles lose less water, so the pine can survive a cold and dry winter.
Check. Adaptations suit the environment. ✓
Method. Think about the environment.
- Think about the places. A desert and a cold wood have very different conditions.different conditions
- Think about the plants. So the plants need different features to survive.different features
- Write the answer. Accept any sentence that says different environments have different conditions, so plants that live there need different features.
Check. Adaptations match the environment. ✓