Life Science

by James Anderson

Genre Comprehension Skill Text Features Science Content

Nonfiction Draw Conclusions • Captions Plants

• Labels
• Text Boxes
• Glossary

Scott Foresman Science 4.2

ISBN 0-328-13862-2

ì<(sk$m)=bdigcd< +^-Ä-U-Ä-U
Vocabulary What did you learn?
chlorophyll
Energy from Plants
1. What are some things a plant needs to survive?
dormant by James
2. What is chlorophyll? WhatAnderson
does it do for a plant?
fertilization 3. Why are roots important for a plant?
ovary
4. Flowers have four main parts
photosynthesis that are used in reproduction. Describe on your own
paper what these parts are and what role they have in
pistil
reproduction. Include details from the book to support
sepal your answer.
stamen 5. Draw Conclusions If you see a plant beginning
to grow, what can you conclude about its environment?

Illustration: 4 Robert Ulrich

Photographs: Every effort has been made to secure permission and provide appropriate credit for
photographic material. The publisher deeply regrets any omission and pledges to correct errors called to its
attention in subsequent editions. Unless otherwise acknowledged, all photographs are the property of Scott
Foresman, a division of Pearson Education. Photo locators denoted as follows: Top (T), Center (C), Bottom
(B), Left (L), Right (R) Background (Bkgd)
Opener: (CR) ©Richard LaVal/Animals Animals/Earth Scenes, (CL) Getty Images, (Bkgd) PhotoLibrary;
Title Page: ©DK Images; 2 ©George D. Lepp/Corbis; 4 (R) ©DK Images, (BR) ©TH Foto-Werbung/Photo
Researchers, Inc.; 7 ©DK Images; 8 (BL) Brand X Pictures, (R) ©DK Images; 9 (C) ©Carolina Biological/
Visuals Unlimited, (R) ©DK Images; 10 (B, CL) ©Royalty-Free/Corbis; 12 ©Merlin Tuttle/BCI/Photo
Researchers, Inc.; 15 ©John Kaprielian/Photo Researchers, Inc.; 16 (CL, C, CR) ©DK Images; 17 (TL,
CR) ©DK Images; 18 (B) ©DK Images, (L) Stephen Oliver/©DK Images; 19 ©Merlin Tuttle/BCI/Photo
Researchers, Inc.; 20 ©Ed Reschke/Peter Arnold, Inc.; 21 ©Dwight R. Kuhn; 22 (L, BR) ©DK Images, (BC)
Brand X Pictures; 23 (BL, R) ©DK Images.

ISBN: 0-328-13862-2

Copyright © Pearson Education, Inc.

All Rights Reserved. Printed in the United States of America. This publication is
protected by Copyright and permission should be obtained from the publisher prior
to any prohibited reproduction, storage in a retrieval system, or transmission in any
form by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or likewise. For
information regarding permissions, write to: Permissions Department, Scott Foresman,
1900 East Lake Avenue, Glenview, Illinois 60025.

3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 V010 13 12 11 10 09 08 07 06 05
 Look at a piece of a redwood tree and a piece of a dandelion
What are plants’ under a microscope. They have similar parts that are similar
sizes. These parts are cells. Plants are made of cells. Plant
characteristics? cells are grouped into tissues. Tissues that work together
form organs.
Plant Cells Plants have many parts. Some parts take in water and
How are a giant redwood tree in California and a small materials from soil. Other parts use energy from the Sun to turn
dandelion alike? They are both living things. They both have water and materials into food. Other parts move food to cells
many cells. They are both in the plant kingdom. throughout the plant.
The redwood tree and the dandelion are also different. The
redwood tree grows about 90 meters tall. The dandelion comes
a little above your ankle.

2 3
How Plants Make Food Oxygen and water are left when photosynthesis is complete.
Plants need sunlight and water to live, grow, and reproduce. They move in and out of plant leaves through tiny holes in the
They need carbon dioxide from the air. They also need mineral bottom of the leaves.
nutrients from the soil. The tubes also move sugar to parts of the plant that need
food. Roots, stems, and leaves store extra sugar.
Photosynthesis
Plants make their own food. The
Chloroplasts
food is sugar. Photosynthesis is Photosynthesis happens in the chloroplasts of the cells in
the process of making this sugar. leaves. Chloroplasts have chlorophyll. This makes them
For photosynthesis, plants green. Chlorophyll takes in energy from the Sun. Plants use
need carbon dioxide from the this energy to turn water, carbon dioxide, and mineral
air. They need water from nutrients into sugar, oxygen, and other food material.
the soil.
There are tubes in the Tubes in the stem carry
water and sugar. Cross Section of a Leaf Water, food, and gases
stem of the plant. Water pass into and out of
and nutrients move each cell through the
through the tubes from the cell membrane.
roots to the leaves. Plants use
energy from the Sun to change
these materials into food.

Water travels through

the plant’s tubes to its
leaves. In the leaves,
tubes called veins carry
water to the cells.

Chloroplasts in these
The thick outer layer cells contain green
of the stem protects material that traps
the plant cells. sunlight.

4 5
 Stems
What are the parts of plants? A tree trunk is similar to the stalk of a grass plant.
Both are stems. Stems have two important jobs. They
The Roles of Leaves and Stems
move food, water, and minerals between the roots and
Groups of cells do certain jobs. Some cells make food. Some
the leaves. They also hold the plant up so its leaves can
carry nutrients through the plant. Cells that do the same job
get sunlight.
make tissues. Wood is a tissue. Tissues work together to make
A tree trunk is a hard stem. It grows thick and strong.
organs. Roots, stems, and leaves are all organs. Most plants
It can support a large plant. Bark is made of a layer of
including the redwood tree and the dandelion have these parts.
dead cells. Bark protects the plant.
Some stems are soft. They bend easily. Daisies and
Leaves
dandelions have soft stems. These stems are often
Leaves make food for a plant.
green. They carry out photosynthesis.
Leaves can be different shapes
and sizes. The different sizes and Leaves may be
shapes help plants live in different different shapes
environments. A pine tree has thin, and sizes. But they A waxy covering
all produce food for protects the stem.
sharp needles. This keeps them from
the plant. It prevents the stem
losing too much water. A banana from drying out.
plant can have leaves that are
wider than a kitchen table!

Most leaves are flat on

top to catch as much
sunlight as possible.
The woody stems
The leaves use the
of trees and shrubs
energy of sunlight to
are hard.
make food.

6 7
The Roles of the Roots Taproots
Roots hold a plant in the ground. Roots take in mineral Plants such as dandelions, turnips, and
nutrients and water from the soil. Roots do not make food. carrots have a large main root called a
They have no chlorophyll. Some roots can store food. This food taproot. A taproot grows straight down.
is used when the plant cannot produce enough food through It takes in water and nutrients from the
photosynthesis. soil. The root becomes thicker when it
stores food. Smaller roots grow from the
Fibrous Roots side of a taproot.
Roots need water and nutrients. A root has tiny hairs sticking out around
Roots grow away from the stem. it. These root hairs allow the root to take in
The roots of some plants spread more mineral nutrients and water.
in many directions. They form a
fibrous root system. These roots Tiny root hairs
can take in water and mineral take in water and
nutrients from a large area. Trees mineral nutrients.
and most grasses have fibrous roots.

Radish

Daisies

Plants Without Roots

Onions Some plants are able to get what they
Fibrous roots do not grow
need without roots. They are called air
thick or deep. They spread
plants. They take in moisture from the
out to find what the plant
air. They take in nutrients from dust in
needs.
the air. Spanish moss is an air plant.

8 9
 Small green leaves grow below the petals. Each leaf is called
How do plants reproduce? a sepal. The sepals cover and protect the flower bud. The
sepals are pushed apart as the flower bud opens.
Parts of Flowers At the center of the flower are small, knoblike parts. These
Scientists classify plants in many ways. One way is by how parts make up the pistil. The pistil is the female part of the
they make new plants, or reproduce. Plants that reproduce are plant. It makes egg cells.
put into two groups. Plants that make seeds are in one group. Smaller stalks are around the pistil. Each stalk is a stamen.
This group contains flowering plants and conifers. The stamens are the male parts of the plant. They have
Most flowers have four main parts. The easiest part to see structures called anthers at their tips. Anthers make tiny grains
is the petal. Petals can be colorful. They protect the seed- of pollen. The sperm in the pollen combines with the egg cells
making parts. They attract living things such as bees, birds, in the pistil to make seeds.
and butterflies.

Pistil
Incomplete Flowers
Some flowers do not have the four
main parts. The corn plant has two
Stamen kinds of flowers. One is a male flower
with stamens but no pistils. The other
is a female flower that has pistils but
no stamens.
Petals

Sepal

10 11
Pollen on the Move
A seed forms when pollen gets from a stamen to a pistil.
Animals can help move pollen.
Nectar is a sweet liquid that flowers make. This is food
for bees, birds, butterflies, and bats. They are drawn to the
nectar by the scent of a flower and the color of its petals.
While the animal eats, pollen on the stamens rubs onto
its body. That pollen may then rub onto the pistil of the
next flower the animal visits. So the pollen moves from one
plant to another. This is called pollination.

When pollen lands on a pistil, a

thin tube grows from the pollen down
to the thick bottom part of the pistil.
This bottom part is called the ovary.
Egg cells are in the ovary. The sperm
cells in the pollen move down the
pollen tube into the ovary. A sperm cell
and an egg cell come together. This is
fertilization.

12 13
Fertilization The wind pollinates grasses and most trees. The wind moves
A flower changes after fertilization. The petals and stamens the pollen from stamens to pistils. Plants that use wind for
dry up and fall off. The plant does not need them. Inside the pollination do not attract animals. They do not have bright
ovary, the fertilized egg becomes a seed. The ovary gets bigger. colors or sweet scents. They make a lot of pollen for the wind
It may become a fruit. This fruit protects the seed or seeds. Some to carry. This way, at least a few grains of pollen will land on
fruits are moist and fleshy, such as apples or grapes. Some are another flower.
dry and hard, such as a peanut shell. When the fruit is ripe, the
seeds can form new plants.

One ragweed
plant can release
more than one
million grains of
pollen into the air.

14 15
What is the life cycle
of a plant?
Life Cycle of a Flowering Plant
Different plants live for different periods of time. A tomato The seedling grows into an
plant may only live for a few months. A bristlecone pine tree adult plant. The plant inherits
can live for more than 4,000 years! A plant’s life cycle includes the color of the flowers from
its parents.
every change a plant goes through during its life.

Seed coat
Leaf
The plant might flower and make
Stem
seeds for many years. Eventually,
the plant will die. Its life cycle will be
complete.
Root

When a flower is pollinated it produces

fertilized eggs. These eggs develop into
seeds. The new seeds germinate. The
cycle begins again.

When a seed The young plant The leaves grow.

begins to grow, or inside the seed They make food for
germinate, it takes uses stored food to the plant through
in water. It swells. grow. The first root photosynthesis.
The seed coat and the first stem The stem and roots A seed may not grow as soon as it falls to the ground. A seed
opens. push through the grow. More leaves will only sprout when its environment is the right temperature.
seed coat. form. The seed also needs the right amount of oxygen and water in
order to start to grow. If it does grow, the roots will grow into
the ground. This is because of gravity. The new stem will grow
upward. It grows toward the sunlight.
16 17
Seeds on the Move Wind as a Helper
Suppose all the cherries on a cherry tree fell to the ground. Dandelion puffs are made of small white threads. These
Many of the seeds would start to grow. Some seeds would grow threads catch in the wind and fly far away. Cottonweed puffs
better if they were farther away from the parent tree. Then they and milkweed plants also have these threads.
could get more water, nutrients, and sunlight. Many plants Maple trees have wing-shaped fruits. They twirl through
have adaptations that allow their seeds to be moved. the air. Tumbleweeds blow across the land in the southwestern
part of the United States. Seeds fall off the plant.
Animal Helpers
Some animals eat fruits with seeds. The seeds in the animals’ Water as a Helper
droppings are then left at new places. Some fruits have tiny Some seeds are carried by water. Coconuts are the fruits of
hooks that attach to animals’ fur. The fruits fall off the animals. one kind of palm tree. They can float on water to new places.
The seeds are moved to new places. Some animals bury seeds There the seed may become a tree.
and nuts for the winter. These seeds and nuts may grow where Seeds can move in many ways. Yet most seeds do not grow
they are buried. into new plants.

Animals can help move

seeds from one place
to another.

18 19
Starting to Grow A Two-Step Cycle
A seed may not grow as soon as it falls to the ground. Some plants with spores reproduce in two steps. First, the
The environment must be right for the seed to grow. A plant produces a spore. The spore can germinate. It grows into
seed needs water, oxygen, and the right temperature. a plant with both male and female cells. The male and female
A seed holds a young plant. Food in the seed gives the cell combine. This is the second step. This produces a fertilized
plant the energy it needs to begin growing. If a seed does egg that grows into a plant.
not have everything it needs, it rests, or stays dormant, Spore cases hold spores. These cases can burst. This releases
and does not grow. It can stay dormant for a long time. many spores into the air. The spores may land near the parent
plant. They may drift far away. The spores will stay dormant
Spores until the conditions are right. Then the spores can begin to
Some plants do not grow from seeds. They grow from grow into new plants.
spores. A spore is made of only one cell. You can only see it
with a microscope. It stores very little food. A spore must have
the right environment to grow. A spore needs wet ground and
constant moisture. Then it can become a new plant.

Spores go
in every
direction
when spore
cases burst.

Spores

Spore case

20 21
 New Plants From Plant Parts Grafting
Some plants grow from leaves, roots, or stems. An apple grower may have an apple tree that
These plants are usually just like the parent plant. grows good apples but has weak roots. Another
A tulip starts as a bulb. A bulb is an apple tree may have strong roots but bad apples.
underground stem. It is made of thick layers of The apple grower can join together branches
leaves that store food. The leaves grow up out of from each tree. This is called grafting. Grafting
the soil. They turn green and make food. will work only if the tubes that carry
Smaller plants can grow right on the leaves food, water, and nutrients in the plant
of a parent plant. The piggyback plant is one match up. Then new tubes will grow.
such plant. A potato may have sprouts growing Plants have many different
on its buds. These sprouts can become new parts that work together as
potato plants. a system. Throughout their
lives, they are always growing
New Plants from Stems and changing.
Some plants have stems called runners.
Runners grow along the ground. Roots grow
from some spots on the runners, and leaves
develop. These leaves are new plants.
Strawberries have runners.

Amaryllis
Potato plant
Strawberry

Crown
Imperial lily

Hyacinth

22 23
Glossary
Vocabulary What did you learn?
chlorophyll
chlorophyll the material that makes plants green and 1. What are some things a plant needs to survive?
takes in energy from the Sun to make food
dormant 2. What is chlorophyll? What does it do for a plant?
dormant in a state of rest
fertilization 3. Why are roots important for a plant?
fertilization the process in which a sperm cell and an
ovary egg cell come together
4. Flowers have four main parts
ovary the part of the pistil of a plant that
photosynthesis that are used in reproduction. Describe on your own
produces egg cells
paper what these parts are and what role they have in
pistil
photosynthesis the process in which plants use sunlight, reproduction. Include details from the book to support
sepal carbon dioxide, and water to make food for your answer.
themselves
stamen 5. Draw Conclusions If you see a plant beginning
pistil the female part of the plant
to grow, what can you conclude about its environment?
sepal a small green leaf below the petals that
covers and protects a flower
stamen the male part of a plant that produces
pollen
Illustration: 4 Robert Ulrich
Photographs: Every effort has been made to secure permission and provide appropriate credit for
photographic material. The publisher deeply regrets any omission and pledges to correct errors called to its
attention in subsequent editions. Unless otherwise acknowledged, all photographs are the property of Scott
Foresman, a division of Pearson Education. Photo locators denoted as follows: Top (T), Center (C), Bottom
(B), Left (L), Right (R) Background (Bkgd)
Opener: (CR) ©Richard LaVal/Animals Animals/Earth Scenes, (CL) Getty Images, (Bkgd) PhotoLibrary;
Title Page: ©DK Images; 2 ©George D. Lepp/Corbis; 4 (R) ©DK Images, (BR) ©TH Foto-Werbung/Photo
Researchers, Inc.; 7 ©DK Images; 8 (BL) Brand X Pictures, (R) ©DK Images; 9 (C) ©Carolina Biological/
Visuals Unlimited, (R) ©DK Images; 10 (B, CL) ©Royalty-Free/Corbis; 12 ©Merlin Tuttle/BCI/Photo
Researchers, Inc.; 15 ©John Kaprielian/Photo Researchers, Inc.; 16 (CL, C, CR) ©DK Images; 17 (TL,
CR) ©DK Images; 18 (B) ©DK Images, (L) Stephen Oliver/©DK Images; 19 ©Merlin Tuttle/BCI/Photo
Researchers, Inc.; 20 ©Ed Reschke/Peter Arnold, Inc.; 21 ©Dwight R. Kuhn; 22 (L, BR) ©DK Images, (BC)
Brand X Pictures; 23 (BL, R) ©DK Images.

ISBN: 0-328-13862-2

Copyright © Pearson Education, Inc.

All Rights Reserved. Printed in the United States of America. This publication is
protected by Copyright and permission should be obtained from the publisher prior
to any prohibited reproduction, storage in a retrieval system, or transmission in any
form by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or likewise. For
information regarding permissions, write to: Permissions Department, Scott Foresman,
1900 East Lake Avenue, Glenview, Illinois 60025.

3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 V010 13 12 11 10 09 08 07 06 05
24