Discussion:
Structure of Plants
Plants develop specialized roots, stems, leaves, and flowers to make them better adapted to their environment. People exploit many of these modifications as vegetables. An example of this is the taproot of carrots. The carrot plant stores sugars in the taproot to supply energy for the formation of flowers in later development. People dig up and eat the taproots while the sugar content is still high.
Part 1
1. Describe the anatomy (structure) and physiology (function) of your favorite vegetable. Is the structure a modification from the standard root, stem, leaf, or flower?
2. Explain how this structure differs from the standard root, stem, leaf, or flower.
Part 2
1. Plants are important for humans in ways other than providing food. Medicines, clothing, beauty, fuel, air quality, building materials, and industrial products are a few of the ways in which humans exploit plants.
2. Choose 1 product or benefit that people get from plants (besides food), describe it, and explain how people benefit.
3. Which do you think is the most important benefit of plants?
Provide any references .