Here is an anthology of cool things that plants do. No Botany course would be complete without these!
The story of how plants defend themselves
individual plants have chemical and physical defenses
plants signals other plants when under attack
thorns, spines, prickles, trichomes, waxy cuticles, bark, etc. are physical deterrents - some dispense chemical weapons as well!
plant physical movement
plant immune system (cell by cell)
plants can signal insect allies to kill grazers
The story of how (and why) some plants taste spicy (and why some of us like that!) -- read the link below to totally flesh out this story:
plant compounds that make you sweat! But in different ways (i.e. wasabi vs. hot peppers)
THE COMPLICATED EVOLUTIONARY HISTORY OF SPICY CHILI PEPPERS
"cactus mice and packrats avoid spicy fruits, but birds like the curve-billed thrasher eat them like candy"
"...when rodents ate chili seeds, grinding them with their molars, none of the seeds were able to germinate. Consumption by thrashers, on the other hand, “resulted in germination rates similar to those of control seeds” "
"Capsaicin probably deters insects much like it deters rodents. The scientists found that within a population of plants, the average number of puncture marks on the fruits correlated with the proportion of plants that made spice. "
"Spicy plants exhibited much less fungal damage on their seeds than non-spicy plants."
The story of carnivorous plants - how and why they do what they do. Click on the link below to learn about carnivorous plants here in Indiana.
independent evolution of carnivory in plants
helps to supplement deficient soils
There are lots of different ways to catch animals!
Carnivorous Plants: Indiana Dunes
sundews, pitcher plants, and bladderworts
The story of carnivorous plants continued...A deeper dive into how the Venus Flytrap does what it does....and other ways that plant "count"
The story of orchids that impersonate other organisms to get some pollination going on.
The lie a flower tells to get pollinated - for a more local take on this take a look at the skunk cabbage - found at Chain O'Lakes and Spurgeon Woods.
Seeds that pretend to be poop so they get moved around
What Plants Talk About