16 - Plant Responses Flashcards
What is a tropism?
The directional growth of a plant in response to a directional stimulus
What is an abiotic stress?
Stress caused by a non-living factor i.e. lack of water
What is a biotic stress?
Stress caused by a living thing i.e. a pathogen
What is a herbivory stress?
Stress caused to a plant by being eaten
What is phytochrome?
A light-sensitive pigment in plants which exists in two variants, the balance of which can invoke a change
What is photoperiodism?
A plant’s response to seasonal changes in length of night and day due to sensitivity to light availability
What are the two key limitations of plants in terms of responses?
They are rooted and do not have a rapidly responding nervous system
What are 4 important plant hormones?
- ABA 2. Ethene 3. Gibberellins 4. Auxins
What happens to auxin levels in plants as a result of low light levels?
They are also low
What does the plant do in response to low auxin levels caused by low light availability?
Produces the hormone ethene
How does ethene cause abscission?
It switches on plant digestive enzymes. This causes a fatty layer to be laid down in the abscission zone, and also causes the cells on the separation side to swell. This weakens the joint of leaf to stem, causing the leaf to fall off
What is abscission?
When plants shed fruits, leafs, flowers, and seeds.
What is the abscission zone?
Layer of cells at base of petiole that weakens and allows leaf to drop off
Why is it important that plants avoid freezing?
Expanding, frozen water can damage cell walls
What is an adaptation that most plants have to prevent freezing?
The vacuole and cytosol contain certain solvents which lower the freezing temperature of water
What is a specific adaptation which carrots have to prevent freezing?
They produce a protein which binds to ice crystals, stopping them from freezing
What hormone causes closure of guard cells?
ABA
What causes ABA to be released?
When the roots detect low water concentration
How does ABA work?
It causes Ca²⁺ and K⁺ ions to leave the guard cells, increasing the water potential and thus causing water to leave the cells, causing the stomata to close
What are 2 known roles of ethene in plants?
Promotes abscission and fruit ripening
What hormone can stimulate antifreeze production in plants?
ABA
What are 5 known roles of auxins in plants?
- Stimulate ethene production 2. Involved in tropisms 3. Control cell elongation 4. Prevent abscission 5. Maintain apical dominance
What are 3 known roles of gibberellins in plants?
- Cause stem elongation 2. Trigger mobilisation of food stores in seeds at germination 3. Stimulate pollen tube growth in fertilisation
What are 3 known roles of ABA in plants?
- Stimulate stomatal closure 2. Stimulate cold protective response 3. Maintains dormancy of seeds and buds
What is a positive tropism?
Growth towards a stimulus
What is a negative tropism?
Growth away from a stimulus
What is the stimulus for geotropism?
Gravity
What is the stimulus for thigmotropism?
Touch
What is the stimulus for electrotropism?
Electric fields