TABLE OF CONTENTS CHAPTER ONE Why Plants Are Important 4 CHAPTER 1 W How Plants Grow 10 CH AP PTER THREE How Plants Reproduce 16 CHAPTER FOUR How Plants survive 22 Real World Science Challenge Answers 29 Glossary 30 For More Information 31 Index 32 About the Author 32
CHAPTER ONE WHY PLANTS ARE IMPORTANT Plants that bear fruit provide food for humans and other animals here could be no life on earth without plants Plants are the only earth living things that can make energy from the sun Every other living thing has to eat to get energy Humans and other animals depend on plants for much of their food 21 CENTURY SKILLS LIBRARY
Plants come in all shapes and sizes Different Century parts of plants are used as food Beets and carrots Intent are the roots of plants Apples and bananas are the fruits of plants We eat stems of asparagus and leaves of lettuce The seeds of corn and rice plants are the main foods in many countries Today s cars are not just fueled by gasoline Ethanol made from plants also fuels modern cars In the United States ethanol is made mainly from Corn In Brazil it is made from sugarcane Scientists are working to find ways to make ethanol from other plants Among these are weeds and grasses and peelings from potatoes Ethanol can be used in cars outboard motors lawnmowers chain saws snowmobiles and other small engines Like humans animals depend on plants for food Koalas eat the leaves of one type of tree Deer eat lots of different plants Horses eat grass and other plants Even when animals eat meat they are eating animals that ate plants When people eat chicken bacon and steaks they are eating food that came from plant eating REAL WORLD SCIENCE PLANTS
