Today would be on survival of plants.

It would be mainly on desert plant adaptation and survival.
To survive, desert plants have adapted to the extremes of heat and aridity by using both physical and behavioral mechanisms, much like desert animals.

Plants that have adapted by altering their physical structure are called xerophytes. Xerophytes, such as cacti, usually have special means of storing and conserving water. They often have few or no leaves, which reduces transpiration.

Phreatophytes are plants that have adapted to arid environments by growing extremely long roots, allowing them to acquire moisture at or near the water table.

Other desert plants, using behavioral adaptations, have developed a lifestyle in conformance with the seasons of greatest moisture and/or coolest temperatures. These type of plants are usually (and inaccurately) referred to as perennials, plants that live for several years, and annuals, plants that live for only a season.

Desert perennials often survive by remaining dormant during dry periods of the year, then springing to life when water becomes available.

For survival, plants adapt in this harsh environment, humans would one day have too.

Carnivorous Plants

This plant known as the cape sundew is a carnivorous plant (or CP) which uses sticky drops of "dew" to trap its victims. You can see 2 little "meals" trapped by the dew in this photo.

In the image, the green "stuff" is another CP - the bladder wort. It eats very tiny insects. To be a CP a plant must do 3 things - attract, capture and digest its prey. Some are active like the more familiar Venus flytrap and the bladder wort which "sucks in" its prey; and some are passive like this sundew and pitcher plants. The sundew actually becomes active when it captures its prey and will slowly wrap its tentacles around its prey. Found this funny picture on google...Yes, i know its becoming more of a picture blog.This is the pitcher plant where insects fall into this" bottomless hole" inside the jug-like structure contains digestive juices which digests everything that fall prey to the plantMoving on to my favourite of all CPs-the Venus Flytrap. Well it snaps when insects lands within its "mouth" and keeps closed untill the prey is totally digested.

The Venus Flytrap is so famous that there are even electronic ones that work like it.

For survival, plants have to adapt and one day,humans will have a way to adapt too.

Plant of the Day: Mahogany

Well, this is the picture of my favourite plant-Mahogany. Mahogany is also known as Swietenia mahagoni, and its full name is"West Indian Mahogany" . Actually, it is not this tree that is famous for its quality for wooden furniture. However, it is its seeds (<<) that fascinates me the most.

In our school HCI, this tree is highly existent and easily find the seeds.

Whats so special about the seeds?
Well, when it is dropped from a height, it starts to propel, from here, its understandable that this plant disperses its seeds through wind. Hence mahoganies are always very tall.

Although that the seed can be fascinating, it turned out to be toxic to the human body when consumed even though it was thought to have medicinal value which will lower blood pressure.

Plants

There would be follow ups for this topic.
:D