Lesson objective

To use information to suggest how organisms are adapted to their environment

What do you think is the purpose of this odd looking feature of the star nosed mole?

AdaptationsAdaptationsB1b 5.5B1b 5.5Why are rhododendrons a Why are rhododendrons a problem?problem?

Rhododendrons have reached BeddGelert! This beautiful Welsh valley is popular with climbers, walkers and families out for a day in the countryside. (BeddGelert also has Snowdonia’s best ice cream shop!).

Rhododendrons are not native plants in the UK but they are particularly well adapted to harvest light for photosynthesis. This makes them very successful - and that’s the problem.

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By clearing the rhododendrons, the seedlings of the woodland trees get a chance to grow and the natural beauty of the valley can be conserved for generations to come.

1 Rhododendrons are adapted to cope with low light conditions - down to about 4% of a normal sunny day!

2 Rhododendrons are cut down because sheep eat them and the leaves are poisonous.

3 Conservationists never destroy part of the living environment.

4 Photosynthesis produces oxygen.5 Rhododendrons can smother fully grown trees.

Mark each of these true or false. Click on answers to see how many you got right.

1 Rhododendrons are adapted to cope with low light conditions - down to about 4% of a normal sunny day!TRUE, this is what makes the rhododendron such a good competitor

2 Rhododendrons are cut down because sheep eat them and the leaves are poisonous.FALSE, the leaves are not particularly poisonous (though the BeddGelert ice cream tastes better!) and sheep don’t really eat them!

3 Conservationists never destroy part of the living environment.FALSE, conservationists often cut back one species to promote a wider range of species overall.

4 Photosynthesis produces oxygen.TRUE, it uses up carbon dioxide and water to make sugar and oxygen.

5 Rhododendrons can smother fully grown trees.FALSE, rhododendrons do damage to growing seedlings by blocking the light they need to grow. Fully grown trees have leaves that are borne above the rhododendron canopy.