How do botanists categorize sharp things on plants?
Q: How do botanists categorize sharp things on plants?
A: Botanists use three different words to categorize sharp things on plants, which are thorns, spines, and prickles.
Q: What are thorns?
A: Thorns are the hard and sharp ends of branches.
Q: What are spines?
A: Spines are hard structures with sharp ends, which can be found on leaves and can also grow instead of leaves.
Q: What are prickles?
A: Prickles are sharp structures on the outside of stems.
Q: Why do plants develop thorns, spines, and prickles?
A: Plants develop thorns, spines, and prickles to protect themselves from plant-eating animals, which is a defence against herbivory.
Q: Can animals evolve in response to plants with thorns, spines, and prickles?
A: Yes, some animals can evolve in response to plants with thorns, spines, and prickles. For example, the acacia trees and giraffes have evolved in response to each other. The plants grow very long spines, and the animals develop very long tongues to reach past the spines and feed on the leaves.
Q: What is the significance of thorns, spines, and prickles?
A: Thorns, spines, and prickles are significant for botanists to differentiate the sharp structures found in plants, and for plants to protect themselves from herbivores.
