Students will be able to describe the feeding mechanisms, digestive processes, and habitat preferences of carnivorous plants that live in the Pinelands.
"The New Jersey Pinelands, Our Country's First National Reserve"
To prepare for this lesson, teachers may wish to read the background information article "Carnivorous Plants" by Dr. Thomas Ombrello first.
Procedure:
View the audio visual presentation "The New Jersey Pinelands, Our Country's First National Reserve" with the students. Have the students look and listen for information about soil and water conditions that support plant life in the region. List these conditions on the board. (Answers should include: acidic soil and water, nutrient poor soil, porous sandy soil, surface aquifer) Point out the pictures of a pitcher plant and a spatulate-leaved sundew that appear in the presentation.
Ask students to speculate on how pitcher plants and sundews supplement their diets in the poor soil conditions of the Pinelands. Student answers should touch on the fact that the poor soil of the Pinelands (high in iron, but low in minerals and other nutrients)have led to adaptations in these plants that allow them to consume insects to gain essential nutrients. Pitcher plants have hollow leaves which contain water and digestive juices. Insects enter the leaves, are trapped, and then are slowly digested by the plant. The sundew uses its sparkling, sticky surface to entice and trap insects.
Ask students what plants and animals that eat meat (in this case, insects) are called. Students should know that carnivore is the name given to a plant or animal that eats meat. Plants that eat insects are known as carnivorous plants.
Copy and distribute the student information sheet "Carnivorous Plants" as well as the illustrations of sundews, a pitcher plant, and a bladderwort to the students. Have the students read the information and then discuss it with them, taking care to emphasize the underlined words in the information sheet. Students will need to be comfortable with these underlined terms as they will serve as the answers to the crossword puzzle that will be distributed as an evaluation exercise. Time should also be spent applying the information from the "Carnivorous Plants" sheet to the illustrations of the sundews, pitcher plant, and bladderwort.
EVALUATION:
Copy and distribute the crossword puzzle "Carnivorous Plants" and have the students complete the puzzle. Check the puzzle for accuracy when complete.
FOLLOW-UP:
1. Have students build a terrarium to grow carnivorous plants. An online search should reveal many sources for carnivorous plants and the information needed to grow them.
2. Have students research carnivorous plants. Students may write a 250 word essay on their plant. Students should also include a drawing or picture of the plant. Display the essays and pictures in the classroom.
This lesson will introduce the students to the following vocabulary words:(click on the word to see its definition-use your browser's back button to return to this page)
carnivorous, enzyme, glands, gravel, microorganisms, mucilage, nectar, nitrogen, sphagnum moss, stolon, tentacle, vacuum
Science standards:
5.1-All students will learn to identify systems of interacting components and understand how their interactions combine to produce the overall behavior of the system.
5.6-All students will gain an understanding of the structure, characteristics, and basic needs of organisms.
5.7-All students will investigate the diversity of life.
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