How plants can survive with little water and high temperatures?
But,
how can plants
survive with little
water?
Plants can survive by having
deep roots, which can reach water,
and tough stem to withstand the wind. When the
rain come, the soil absorbs and stores moisture,
the plant roots then
actively absorb water during
the growing period.
Every year,
with the arrival of the rain I begin to grow and,
within a few weeks, I am covered by colored flower.
But, like all the beautiful thinks, I live for just one season,
and during this time I must flower and produce seed and
complete my cycle of life and die before summer, when the
moisture in the soil dries up.
Not only
what you have said,
but to save water during
the dry season, my leaves have
small openings, and my skin
cuticle, is more thick always.
Does it means
that all plants
survive in this
way?
No,
there are
two types ofplants:
the Annual and
Perennial.
Ok. I can accept that you are
more beautiful than me, but I can live
for many years. I drink water throughout my
roots: thanks to my shallow which spread
laterally and roots with my deep roots,
I tap water from different
soil levels.
and
when the sunshine is very
hot, to shape reduce the lost
of water, I change my leaves
into bristle shape.
I modified my leaves to thorn
or thistle.
For my survival
during the drought I reduce
my size and leave few branches
and leaves that can keep me alive.
When conditions are good
I start growing and produce
enough food.
- 10 -
Water, soil, plants, animals help each the other in their survival.
THE WATER CYCLE
Water is essential for
the life of plants,
animals and people. Without
water there is no life.
from
the well?
But where does the
water come from?
from
the tap?
from
the sky?
from
the wadi?
seas cover
three quarters of the earth and
oceans and so, it is from the sea,
lakes and rivers that water come
from and begins its cycle.
…Thanks to the sun's warmth,
the water of the seas and ocean
evaporates into the upper air, in the
form ofinvisible water vapor…
…The impact between low temperature
and cold temperature transform
the small drops to clouds with
plenty of rain…
So,
water is not made,
it simply goes
round and round.
For
this reason we
should not waste
water. Take
whatyou need
only.
…Some of the rain
pour down and form:
rivers, lakes, khabras;
wadis etc…
…Other part is filtered into the soil.
Part of it is absorbed by the roots of
the plants and some of deep layers
and form forms the layer of the
groundwater…
…Some part return back to
the sea, where the all cycle
begins again…
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Water, soils, plants, animals: Help each the other in their survival
Do you know
that plants help the
formation of the rain?
Come on Nour,
the plants are not
magicians!.
Please Talal
don't be so incredulous,
follow this indicator
4
1 Plants drink water from
the soil through
their roots.
3
2 Each part of the plant
needs water.
3 Heated by the rays
of the sun, water on the
surface of the leaves rises up into the
air and forms
water droplets.
5
4 The impact between cold
and hot temperature
transforms the water droplets into
clouds with plenty
of rain inside.
2
5 This rain will fall again
on the ground, it will infiltrate into the
soil, will make the plants drink through
their roots and the wheel
goes rolling.
1
This important function of the plants is called
EVAPO-TRANSPIRATION!
So, vegetation's
roots function like pumps,
to bring the water to the
ground
surface!
But, the plants
of Badia absorb as much
water as possible and
store it in their
barrel-shaped trunk.
"Bravo!"
- 12 -
Go away,
are you crazy, don't you understand
yet how I am important
for you?
WATER, SOIL, PLANTS, ANIMALS: HELP EACH THE OTHER IN THEIR SURVIVAL
THE VEGETATION COVER IS LIKE A TENT, PROTECT THE SOIL
The vegetation
cover is also playing another
very important function: just like a
tent and its rope and stands.
The upper part of the plants reduces
the impact of raindrops and
like the
windstorms on the soil.
tent!
So, when we uproot
shrubs, the soil becomes bare
because it has lost the vegetation
cover. Therefore, when there are
rainfalls and windstorms the soil
will be swept away by the
violence of water
and wind.
and their roots
prevent it from floating
in the air like ropes,
stands and act like peg.
Without the protection
given by the vegetation cover,
the rain drops hit the ground very
hard and make it compact: water can
not infiltrate underground and surface
layers become poorer and poorer.
Year after year until
wells dry up.
In this way
the soil is unable to absorb water
resulting in flooding.
Floods sweep the soil away. This loss
of soil is called EROSION. When erosion
takes place the land does not produce,
this means: no plants, no animals,
and no human beings.
Now I understand
the reason of my allergy:
the dust of the bare soil
is carried out by the winds,
makes the air and our houses dirty
and causes my health problem.
again you?
Are you really stupid!
- 13 -
Water, soil, plants, animals help each the other in their survival.
Do you know
that plants also produce the
air we breathe. Through their
leaves they absorb
Carbon daidoxide, bad air,
and release oxygen,
good air.
It's
the opposite of
what we do!
Yes that's another
good reason why we need plants.
What is dirty for us is
nutritious for them. Plants
clean the air for us.
Plants take bad air
and absorb water and nutritive
elements from the ground and they
"cook" these elements using the heat
of the sun. In this way plants may
grow and produce leaves and fruit:
food for us and for many
herbivore animals.
This
important function
of the plants is called
PHOTOSYNTHESIS
- 14 -
So,
if our animal
overgraze the early leaves
of the plants, the plants
will die because they
cannot produce their
own food!
Water, soils, plants, animal: Helps each the other in their survival
Who is living underneath the soil?
There is in the soil
living things: we can not
see them, but there are
many microorganisms
like small insects
under the ground.
What do they do
in there? There is
no light, no air, and
no food to eat!
They are different from us,
they don't need light and air; they eat
dead leaves, small pieces of wood, anything that
falls on the ground.
Like the "zabbal"
of Tadmur?
Yes, it is but they do other things.
They eat and release feces and these feces,
dissolved in water, are actually feed for the plants that
drink it through their roots! These organism are called
DECOMPOSER.
Without this kind of food,
water would be just water and
plants would starve
Exactly!
And you must know that it takes a long of time
to make the soil fertile, because these decomposers
are very small and proceed very slowly. It might take
many and many years to make only one centimeter
of nutritious soil in the
desert areas!
This means that
the soil is very precious
and necessary to grow
plants to feed
our animals!
That's why
the upper part of the
soil is very important:
because it is full
of nutritious things
for plants!
If you tray to crush us,
we will revenge!!
We will not make the soil fertile!
- 15 -
Water, soils, plants, animal: Helps each the other in their survival
Animals and plants are close-friends
Hey!
What about me?
Did you forget that
in Badia we are close
friends to the
plants: they feed us
with their leaves and
we disperse
their seeds
Yes,
somehow.
Plant seeds
stick to my wool
and I carry them
around. Then with
my hooves I push
them under the
ground so they
can find their
place to start
a new life.
Do you mean that
you seed like my
father?
Yes,
also seeds of
some legumes,
like annual
medics eaten by
sheep, can
germinate after
they have been
passed
by animals"
I use the plants
to make my nest and
I spread seeds by
my feces
I help the flowers.
I transfer the pollen
from one flower to another.
While I am doing this
I can eat too!
This two-way
dependence
is called
Interdependence.
If we go away
then do you know
how many plants
could not
reproduce?
So
if we uproot shrubs,
the animals lose their
HABITAT: home and food
and they would be obliged
to go away!
for heaven's sake!
Again you….Do not
yet understand that
I am precious"
- 16 -
Do you know that animals, plants and human being depend on each other. But how?
THE FOOD CHAIN
A
…By the help of the sun's ray,
water and nutritive soil,
I can grow…
B
… as herbivores like camel, goats,
gazelles and oryx eating plants,
I can grow by them…
C
…as a carnivores like wolf
eating sheep, thank to sheep
we can live by them…
D
F
…Thanks to all this
elements,
we can live on.
…as omnivore eating
plants and animals,
I can live on them…
E
…we decompose the rest of
dead animals and plants into
nutritivesubstances,
the soil becomes fertile and the
plants find in it their feed…
This chain is called FOOD CHAIN
Pay attention to not
eliminate one piece of this chain,
because the loss of one can produce
the loss of others..
Let's
go to see
what happens
if you
eliminate
one piece
of this
chain.
…If you kills a predator like a fox, the
rat, jerboa, jerds will increase…
…If the rat will increase, the range
will be destroyed because the rat
eats plants and seeds...
…Without animals you will not get meat, milk,
butter, yogurt, wool…
…If the range is destroyed, your animals will die because
they will not find the forage to graze…
- 17 -
The importance of the wildlife for the well-being of the Badia
Now you understand that not only the
domestic animals are important, but also the
Wild animals such the wolf and hyena are important.
Unfortunately our parents did not understand the
importance of wild animals. Therefore they hunted
them intensively. In Syrian steppe we have lost:
lion, oryx, ostrich and
Syrian wild ass
... and without the wild animals
we will have many problems for the
reproduction of the plants, therefore all the
animals are important
..also the
eagles?
also the
foxes?
.also
the wild cat?
also the
snakes?
Who are calling us?
We are the predators. Certainly, we are not
beautiful like gazelle but, without us, rodents
as jerboa and other herbivores could increase
considerably and would reduce the food supply
for survival of the sheep.
The wildlife is a part of our history.
The Arab artists admired the steppe and
plants and animals. Almost any verse of
Arabic poetry contains description
of camels, oryx, gazelle, Isn't it Ahed?
the wildlife
is a source of
income by
attracting tourist
to observe and
enjoy the beauty
of wildlife and
pay money
for this
At that time I was very famous and
the poets called me "Wild Cow". I was
described as a twinkling star glittering
in the sky and my protruding horns was
compared as a beautiful forest in the
barren desert…
"Don't worry, please
come back to El Badia.
We will assure you that
we wil protect you
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I have an idea!
We can draw many posters and
we will write: wild animals should not
be feared but respected...Do not ill
treathem...Do not destroy all the
family...Do not kill them for the only
reason that you do not
like them.
We will hang
them on all the
walls
of Palmyra
Understanding the importance of the balance of nature
I do not understand.
Everything seems to work out properly: plants protect the soil,
animals cooperate with vegetation and so on.
But why livestock can not find enough food and
wildlife has disappeared?
Please, Nour,
can you explain?
Because
the actions of human
beings, have disturbed
the balance of the
nature
Are you ready
to fly?…
Yes,
are you ready to fly?
I will show you why the
actions of man are breaking
braking the balance of nature.
Ahed, could you join us?
Yes, sir??
…A few minutes later flying along el-Badia…
but he is not
a bird so
he can't fly
I know
butwith the help
of Nour it is possible.
Come on children, go up…
.also you Randa
In the past traditional grazing
land are very huge. So all family
can graze its herd without problems.
But little by little the grazing land
were reduced, because of
increasing human beings
See down there
this big city.
Once it was only a group of
tents
- 19 -