Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About Keizertimes. (Salem, Or.) 1979-current | View Entire Issue (May 24, 2019)
PAGE A2, KEIZERTIMES, MAY 24, 2019 Invisalign & Traditional Braces Customized Financing FOR A FREE CONSULT CALL 503.362.0500 orthodontics mor children, adolescents & adults www.haveagreatsmile.com Truly Amazing Smiles SCHOOLHOUSE SQUARE 5099 RIVER ROAD N, KEIZER for kids by kids The ins and outs of plant food BY LAUREN MURPHY Of No Adults Allowed Unlike humans, plants don’t sit down around the dinner table and eat meatloaf while they talk about their day, so how do they get their food? The short answer is, plants eat a balanced diet of sunshine, carbon dioxide and water. Let’s use a fl ower as an example. The fl ower takes in the carbon dioxide through little holes in its leaves. Plants breathe carbon dioxide like humans breath oxygen. Plants breathe out oxygen and humans breathe out carbon dioxide. The roots of the fl ower suck up water from the soil: rain water, melted snow, or in some cases water from nearby lakes or streams. Inside the fl ower there are little cells. These cells are made up of little parts, or organelles, that help it function the way it should. One of these organelles is called, “chloroplast.” Chloroplast contains c h l o r o p h y l l . Chlorophyll is what traps the sunlight for the fl ower. Now that the fl ower has the sunlight it stores in a chemical called ATP (adenosine triphosphate). The ATP then creates sugar and other nutritious things for the fl ower through a thing called the Calvin Cycle. The Calvin Cycle was discovered and named by Melvin Calvin. The cycle consists of three main parts: fi xation, reduction and regeneration. In the fi rst step, fi xation, the fl ower takes the carbon dioxide it gathered earlier and attaches it to a sugar RuPB. This creates a new, useable, substance for the plant 3-PGA. The next step is reduction. In chemistry reduction means the atom gained an electron. Through this process the How to change the color of a fl ower in two easy steps BY LAUREN MURPHY Of No Adults Allowed Flowers absorb water through their roots (or if they’ve been cut they absorb it through their stems), but what happens if the water is colored? The fl ower will change color. The color of the water will combine with the color of the fl ower to make it a new color. To best illustrate this concept I used white fl owers and multiple colors of food dye. What to do: Fill up cups, or vases with about one cup of warm water. Add 10-20 drops of desired color. Green, red and blue work well. Cut the stems of the fl ower at an angle so it can suck up as much water as possible. Then put the fl ower in the water and wait. After a couple hours the fl ower will have a slight tint of the color. Leave it to soak overnight and the fl owers will be brighter. Let them soak until you have the desired color and then replace the colored water with clear water. If you want a multicolored fl ower, you can cut the stem and place it in two diff erent containers. Be sure that the containers are the same height so it doesn’t fall over. carbon 3-PGA becomes G3P. The G3P turns into sugar again and combines with ATP to turn back into RuPB, which is the third step, regeneration. After this the Calvin Cycle repeats all over again. Why do potatoes make good detectives? They always have their eyes peeled • Broccoli is actually a fl ower. • The world’s most expensive spice, saff ron, is made from the crocus fl ower. • Sunfl owers can remove radioacivity from water. • The world’s smelliest fl ower, called titan arum, is said to emit a stink similar to that of a dead body.
