Final answer:
Plants maintain a fairly constant size and shape due to several factors: rigid cell walls, a common plant structure, adaptation to environmental conditions, and specific growth patterns.
Step-by-step explanation:
Plants maintain a fairly constant size and shape due to several factors:
- Rigid cell walls: Plants remain exposed to changes in temperature and thus require rigid cell walls to protect themselves.
- Common plant structure: While individual plant species are unique, all share a common structure of stems, roots, and leaves. They all transport water, minerals, and sugars produced through photosynthesis through the plant body in a similar manner.
- Adaptation to environmental conditions: Each plant form is adapted, through evolution, to certain conditions of temperature, humidity, soil quality, soil wetness, light, and wind.
- Growth patterns: Some plant parts, such as stems and roots, continue to grow throughout a plant's life, whereas other parts, like leaves and flowers, exhibit determinate growth that ceases when they reach a particular size.
These factors help plants maintain their size and shape despite external influences.