Description
What organisms have adapted to life in environments ranging from the ocean floor to desert sands, from the frigid tundra to the deepest, darkest jungle? None other than plants! From microscopic algae to the largest trees, millions of plant species have evolved in every habitat on the planet. In Plant Biodiversity, learn how plants developed in the oceans over 420 million years ago and slowly adapted to survive and reproduce on land. Explore the differences between nonvascular plants and their more modern vascular cousins. Find out how the development of seeds allowed plants to dominate the landscape, and discover some differences between cone-bearing gymnosperms and flowering angiosperms. Examine the structures different plants have developed to succeed in their environment, and explore the effects of climate on plant biodiversity in a fun, hands-on experiment. This program is based on the concepts outlined in the National Science Education Standards for Life Science: structure & function in living systems, reproduction & heredity, regulation & behavior, populations & ecosystems, and diversity & adaptations of organisms. A Teacher's Guide is included and available online. Part of the multivolume Plant Life in Action DVD Series in the Schlessinger Science Library. Part of the Schlessinger Science Library in Action Collection. 23 minutes. Grades 5 to 8.