Lesson Plan

Plants & Insects

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Lesson: Plants & Insects Module Code: 0202.1

Note: This lesson plan corresponds to the Foldscope Prepared Slide Box Set #2 - Plants & Insects.

Grade Level: Middle school and up Duration: 1 hour (recommended)

Learning Objectives: Students will understand how flowering plants reproduce and be able to iden�fy relevant
anatomical features. Students will understand the role of pollinators in plant reproduc�on and be
able to iden�fy key anatomical adapta�ons of pollina�ng insects.

Section Overview Learning Goal

Activity 1 Plant reproduc�on Students will understand how flowering plants

reproduce and be able to iden�fy relevant anatomical
features.

Activity 2 Pollinators Students will understand the role of pollinators in plant

reproduc�on and be able to iden�fy key anatomical
adapta�ons of pollina�ng insects.

Activity 3 Extended Students dissect and mount a flower and observe with
Foldscope. Students apply their understanding of flowers
& insects from prepared slides to a fresh sample.

Materials: • Foldscopes
• Foldscope Prepared Slide Box Set #2 - Plants & Insects. (This product is available for purchase at
h�ps://www.foldscope.com/order)

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 Activity 1 — Plant Reproduction
Section Description

Intro Content Angiosperms are plants that reproduce by growing flowers. This is the largest and
most diverse group of plants; approximately 80 percent of all known green plants
living now are angiosperms. Flowers are the home of angiosperms’ reproduc�ve
organs. Flowering plant reproduc�on begins with pollina�on, the transfer of pollen
from anther to s�gma. The anther is the por�on of the stamen that produces pollen
grains, and the s�gma is the s�cky �p of the pis�l that receives pollen grains. These
pollen grains produce pollen tubes that grow down through the pis�l un�l they reach
the ovary, a hollow chamber that contains the plant’s ovules, or eggs. The ovules are
fer�lized by the pollen grains and develop into seeds.

Flowering Plant Reproduc�ve Parts

flower
stamen pis�l

stigma
anther
ovary

pollen ovule
grain

Once a fer�lized seed reaches a place on the ground, it sprouts and begins growing.
This growth originates from a special �ssue called meristem, which is located in the
�p of the plant and at its roots. This �ssue is special because it contains cells that are
undifferen�ated, which means that they can develop into any type of cell within the
plant. The meristem at the �p of the plant is called the apical bud.

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Section Description

Activity 1. Observe the components of plant reproduc�on in slides 2-2 and 2-3. Using these
slides, can you tell the story of plant reproduc�on? What component is missing and
why is that component important?
Slide 2-2 is a section of the anther of a maize plant. This organ produces pollen
grains, which are shown in slide 2-3. The pollen grains fertilize the ovules in the
stamen, which are not shown on these slides. Ovules are important because they
contain the other half of the plant’s genetic information. The fertilized ovules
mature into seeds, also not shown; seeds grow into the next generation of plants.

2. Based on what you can see in slides 2-4 and 2-5, how do you think pine tree reproduc-
�on differs from flower reproduc�on?
In pine trees, the male and female reproductive organs are separated into two
different types of pine cones, shown on slides 2-4 and 2-5. The male pine cone on
slide 2-4 is the functional equivalent of the anther in a flower, and the female pine
cone on slide 2-5 contain the ovules that would be found in the stigma of a flower.
Unlike angiosperms, pine trees are gymnosperms and do not grow flowers. Their
ovules are not enclosed in an ovary but are instead exposed bare in the cones.

3. Observe the dandelion fuzz in slide 2-6. What is the func�on of dandelion fuzz in plant
reproduc�on? Can you think of other ways that plants achieve a similar func�on?
Dandelion fuzz helps dandelion seeds catch the wind and sail far from their parent
plant. This allows dandelions to spread their seeds over a greater area, increasing
the reach of their species and decreasing competition among offspring. In addition
to other methods of using wind for seed dispersal, such as the helicopter seed
casings of maple trees, plants have also developed strategies that use animals to
disperse their seeds. One animal dispersal strategy is burrs, which are spiky seeds
with hooks that attach to animals’ fur as they walk past the plants. Animals then
carry these seeds for great distances until the burrs eventually fall or are rubbed
off, greatly increasing the distance between the seed and its parent plant.

(Continued on next page.)

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Section Description

Activity Guide Another strategy of seed dispersal by animals is fruit: by growing seeds within
(contd.) something sweet and nutritious that animals want to eat, plants allow their seeds
to enter animals’ digestive systems and be carried inside the animal until they are
deposited intact within the animals’ feces. This method has the added benefit of
ensuring that seeds are surrounded by ample nutrients when they land.

4. What is special about the apical bud shown in slide 2-1? Can you observe anything
dis�nc�ve about the �ssue that indicates its func�on?
The apical bud contains meristem tissue and is the main site of upward growth
for the plant. Distinctive features of meristem tissue include small, densely packed
cells; thin cell walls; and large cell nuclei. There is also a high rate of mitosis, which
may be observable in the configuration of nuclei.

Activity 2 — Pollinators
Section Description

Intro Content Some angiosperms self-pollinate by growing in such a way that pollen from a flower
is likely to land on its own s�gma or the s�gma of another flower on the same plant.
Because there can be gene�c varia�on among the ovules within a plant, this results in
some varia�on among the offspring. For more advantageous greater gene�c varia�on,
however, plants rely on pollinators to transfer pollen among different flowers of the
same species. Pollinators are animals such as insects and birds that feed on the nectar
of flowers and, in the process of feeding, bring pollen from one flower to another.

The rela�onship between a flower and its pollinator is an example of mutualism, a

mutually beneficial symbio�c rela�onship. Symbiosis describes any close rela�onship
where at least one species benefits. The three types of symbiosis are mutualism, com-
mensalism, and parasi�sm. In a mutualis�c rela�onship, both organisms benefit.This is
true of the rela�onship between pollinators and flowering plants: pollinators benefit
from using the flowers’ nectar as a food source... (Continued on next page.)

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Section Description

Intro Content ... and the plants benefit by being cross-pollinated to increase the gene�c varia�on
(contd.) and success of their offspring. Commensalism describes a rela�onship in which only
one species benefits and the other is not affected. For example, barnacles a�ach
themselves to the skin of whales. The barnacles benefit by being transported to
plankton-rich waters where the whales feed, and the whales do not seem to either
benefit or be harmed by giving the barnacles a free ride. In a parasi�c rela�onship,
one species benefits and the other is harmed. Braconid wasps lay their eggs on the
body of a tomato hornworm. As the wasp larvae grow, they kill the hornworm and
feed off its body.

Activity 1. Consider what you already know about the insects in this slide kit (honeybee, bu�erfly,
mosquito, fly, grasshopper). Which do you think are pollinators?
All of these insects are pollinators! The insects best-known for pollination in this
group are probably the honeybee and butterfly. However, flies are actually the
second-most important pollinating insect after bees. Flies are primarily drawn
to flowers that have a brownish red color, including some that have evolved to
smell like rotting meat to be more attractive to typically carnivorous flies. It may
seem surprising, but mosquitoes are an important pollinator as well. Only female
mosquitoes bite, and they only bite when they need protein from blood to develop
their eggs, so nectar is the primary food of mosquitoes. Grasshoppers are perhaps
the least likely pollinator— they are often thought of as pests that consume
leaves and damage plants. Although this is generally true, a study conducted by
scientists at the National University of Singapore from 2015 to 2018 found 13 spe-
cies of grasshoppers, along with 28 other species from the same order, that were
observed visiting flowers in Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Brunei, and Indonesia.
After making these observations, they conducted an experiment in which they
found that flowers that they exposed to katydids, a close relative of grasshoppers,
were three times more likely to produce seeds— indicating that the katydids were
truly aiding in pollination. This research is a good reminder that scientists are still
discovering the roles different organisms play in ecosystems and there is always
more to discover in your own backyard!

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Section Description

Activity 2. What adapta�ons do you see that help these insects be effec�ve pollinators? Can you
(contd.) iden�fy any features on the slides?
Look at slide 2-12. Honeybees’ hind legs have a structure known as a “pollen
basket” where they collect and store pollen after visiting flowers. This consists of
a smooth cavity surrounded by stiff hairs that bees use to scrape pollen off their
head and forelegs. On slide 2-18, you can see a butterfly’s proboscis, a long, thin
feeding tube that is specialized for uptaking nectar from flowers.

Activity 3 — Extended
Section Description

Intro Content Dissect a flower and mount it on slides to view in your Foldscope. What do the
pollen grains look like? Can you iden�fy its reproduc�ve organs? Try dissec�ng
another flower and comparing it to the first. What is different and similar between
the two flowers? Do you see any differences that would make the flowers appealing
to different pollinators? How might a pollinator adapt to feed from each flower?

For Foldscope tutorials on sample prepara�on and viewing visit

(h�ps://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLnO8NcEb6LFy1p0rCVBfHY0JUgBswRC4m)

Resources: h�ps://eol.org/docs/discover/flowering-plants
h�ps://www.britannica.com/plant/angiosperm
h�ps://kids.britannica.com/students/assembly/view/53831
h�ps://www.britannica.com/plant/gymnosperm
h�ps://sciencing.com/pollen-vs-seed-cones-12579032.html
h�ps://www.thoughtco.com/will-pine-cone-grow-into-tree-3971255
h�ps://courses.lumenlearning.com/boundless-biology/chapter/plant-development/
h�ps://biologydic�onary.net/apical-meristem/

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Resources h�ps://www.calacademy.org/educators/lesson-plans/flowers-seeking-pollinators
(contd): h�ps://www.na�onalgeographic.org/ar�cle/symbiosis-art-living-together/
h�ps://sciencing.com/symbio�c-rela�onship-8794702.html
h�ps://www.fs.fed.us/wildflowers/pollinators/animals/flies.shtml
h�ps://ucanr.edu/sites/PollenNa�on/Meet_The_Pollinators/Flies/
h�ps://mosquitoreviews.com/learn/mosquitoes-pollina�on
h�ps://www.asianscien�st.com/2018/09/in-the-lab/grasshopper-cricket-agriculture-pollinators/
h�ps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pollen_basket
h�ps://micro.magnet.fsu.edu/primer/techniques/fluorescence/gallery/honeybeeleg.html
h�ps://spie.org/news/6419-the-bu�erfly-proboscis-as-a-fiber-based-self-cleaning-microfluidic-
system?SSO=1

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 Lesson Plan
Plants & Insects

v1.1 foldscope.com/lessonplans