The Amazing Race: Plant

Edition
By: Jared Bouchard

Our Contestants

Carla CornStal
Hal Hornwort
Marly moss
Paula Pine-Tree
Garth Ginkgo
Homer Horsetail
Fern
Lily Pad

First Location: Farmers Field

Temperatures between -10C and
15C.
Flat
Sometimes there are little wetlands
Very Fertile
Extreme conditions
Little space for each plant

Who was eliminated?

Marly Moss
Because she has flagellated sperm, she couldnt
reproduce as there was no water above the ground.
This also means that she didnt have the necessary
water to survive because it didnt have any roots to
access the water in the fertile environment.
She also wasnt able to access light for
photosynthesis as it was on the ground while it was
surrounded by plants over 3 feet tall.
She didnt have any predators but she didnt need
any as it couldnt survive the environment.

Peat Bog
Temperatures between 0 C and
25C
Flat
Full of water and decomposed plants
Very Fertile
Not very extreme conditions
Lots of space for each plant

Who was eliminated?

Carla Cornstalk
Carla couldnt release enough water
causing her cells to lysis.
Also as she stands tall in soil, her roots
couldnt hold her up as the ground isnt
very solid and she has small roots.
Many of the insects would eat her
because of her delicious corn.

Xinjiang Semi Desert

Temperatures between -5C and
26.5C
Rolling Dunes
Made of Sand
Not Fertile
Few desert storms
Lots of space for each plant

Who was eliminated?

Lily Pad
She cant store water well.
Its a very dry environment and lily
pads flourish in a very wet
environment. Because its so dry, Lily
pad will die as she dries out.
Though there arent many animals out
there, some would eat a lily pad as it
has no protection against predators.

African Savannah
Temperatures between 20C and
30C
Some mountains but mostly a flat
plateau
Made of dirt and rock
Not Fertile
Lots of animals
Some space for each plant
Some water

Who was eliminated?

Hal Hornwort
He needs lots of water to survive because
he doesnt have any vascular tissue. In the
savannah, there isnt enough water for him
to survive.
He needs lots of water but is in a water
scarce environment. Hal would dry out.
A hornwort has little to no defenses leaving
it as a great snack for many small animals.

Who was eliminated?

Fern
Fern has hyphae instead of roots so he will
die on a savannah has most of its water
underground instead of in the air
Fern will dry out because of it lacks the
ability to pull water out of the ground.
There are many animals out there in the
savannah that will easy eat the fronds on
fern because it has no defenses to resist
predators.

Amazon Rainforest
Temperatures between 20C and
30C
Few hills but very rock and rough
terrain covered by layers and layers
of plants.
Very fertile
Lots of insects, some animals
Little space for each plant
Very humid

Who was eliminated?

Paula Pine-tree
Because of her small needles, she didnt have
much access to enough light as the other trees
(with bigger leaves) left Paula in the shade.
A pine tree keeps its water fairly well but when
put in a very humid environment, Paula doesnt
have big enough leaves to expel the water.
Because of her thick bark there arent any
predators that will harm her. But as a sapling
she could still be damaged.

Honolulu, Hawaii
Temperatures between 19C and
32C
Very flat with few mountains and a
crater
Somewhat fertile
Lots of insects and some animals
Some space for each plant
Very humid

Who Won?
Garth Ginkgo
He has strong seeds to protect its embryo and
he has a vascular system.
Ginkgoes have been on earth for over 270
million years proving it can withstand a verity of
environments. They also have roots above and
below the ground to access water everywhere.
Ginkgoes also have resistance to diseases and
also has insect-resistant wood so it wont get
eaten or damaged.

Analysis Q1
If the locations had been reversed, would
you have chosen a different winner? Why
or why not?
If the places were backwards I would
have had the horse tail win. I think that it
would be better suited than the ginkgo
in the peat bog and I also think the fern
would be better suited too eliminating
the ginkgo from the competition.

Analysis Q2
Would you expect each student in the
class to choose the same winner as
you did? Why or why not?
This lab is based on people opinions.
I think that my answer would be
different from someone else's
because everyones opinions are
different.

Analysis Q3
Can you think of a plant that was not chosen
as a contestant that would be a better winner
than the one you chose? If so, which plant?
I am not very familiar with many plant so I
wouldnt know saying that, I thought it
would be interesting to see how far a cactus
would go in this competition. Another plant
that would survive well would be the willow
because its found in the tundra and all
around the world.