Jelly bean plant/Deditos de niño

Sedum pachyphyllum

“My leaves are plump-like and resemble childrens' fingers”

Taxonomy

Kingdom: plantePhylum: angiosperms

Class: Eudicots

Order: Saxifragales

Family: Crassulaceae

Genus: Sedum

Species: Pachyphyllum

Energy

In order to release energy in the form of ATP, which they require for their essential processes, they first break down glucose in the presence of oxygen during cellular respiration.

DIAGRAM Cellular Respiration:

Biogeographic distribution:

TEMPERATURE

This species of plants usually grows on warm places.

RAINFALL

This species usually grow in semi-arid environments, this means rainfall is low.

SOILS

This species usually grow on sandy or rocky soil.

ALTITUDE

We can find this species in mountains or places with really high altitudes.

FLORA

Some species of plants we can find near the "jelly bean" plant are the ones that require little rainfall to grow such as echeveria elegans, opuntia microdasys, echinopsis pachanoi (succulents and cactuses).

FAUNA

Some species of animals we can find near the "jelly bean" plant are the ones that use it for food or habitat as: Horned Lizard, Leopard Gecko, Social weaver, meally bugs, spider mites, ants, etc.

Ecological Role:

It produces it's own food through the process of photosynthesis. This is the base of the food web.

It makes nectar as food for bees and other pollinators.

It can be used as a habitat for insects and small animals.

Pollinators: Some pollinators insects such as: bees, birds, butterflies, etc are attracted to them.

Erosion: The roots help keep the soil in balance.

Water conservation: Leaves are in charge of storing water, this is important because it helps plants survive in dry places.

Conservation: The level of my plant is common

Economical value: It's used to decorate gardens. It is really easy to take care of it as it doesn't require a lot of maintenance.

Cultural value: It was utilized by indigenous people because of it's drought-ressistant capacities.

Adaptation and evolution

Special traits: Water is stored in it's leaves. Also at night they use their Crassulacean metabolism to prevent water loss.

Advantages: Their special traits help them survive as they can store the water and survive droughts or survive to arid environments.

Divergent: They have a common ancestor and show divergent evolution

Homologous structure: The succulent leaves of different sedum species are homologous structures as they all share the same ancestor. The only thing that changes are the adaptations each have had to survive distinct situations.

Timeline

DNA analysis is a useful tool for mapping the genetic ancestry and divergence of Sedum pachyphyllum from ancestral populations shared with other succulents in the Crassulaceae family. These studies show how long-term shifts in climate and location have influenced the development of these plants, giving rise to their current variety. General research on members of the Crassulaceae family offer insight into their evolutionary processes and dates.

Podcast:

WORKS CITED

Plant Profile: Jelly Bean Sedum Pachyphyllum

By Emily Marshall Container: The Balcony Garden Publisher: The Balcony Garden Year: 2023 URL: https://www.thebalconygarden.com.au/blogs/news/plant-profile-jelly-bean-sedum-pachyphyllum#:~:text=It%20belongs%20to%20the%20Crassulaceae,to%20its%20plump%2C%20fleshy%20leaves.

Sedum pachyphyllum (Jelly Beans)

By WoS Container: World of Succulents Publisher: World of Succulents Year: 2014 URL: https://worldofsucculents.com/sedum-pachyphyllum-many-fingers-jelly-beans/

Home — The Plant List

By Container: Theplantlist.org Year: 2020 URL: http://www.theplantlist.org/

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