5.1.5 Plant responses Flashcards
Define the term abiotic factor
Abiotic factors are non-living factors e.g. wind, climate
Define the term Biotic factor
Biotic factors are living factors (organisms) e.g. plants, predators, prey
What is a Tropism?
TROPISM is a directional growth response which is determined by the direction of the external stimulus
What is a phototropism?
A plants response to LIGHT, an abiotic factor that ensures that as the plant grows, it gains maximum exposure to sunlight
What is a Geotropism?
A plants response to GRAVITY, an ABIOTIC factor which ensures that no matter the orientation of the seed, the shoots/stem will go in a negative-geotropism (upwards) and the roots will go in a positive-geotropism (down)
What is a Thigmotropism?
A plants response to TOUCH, a biotic or abiotic factor allowing for especially climbing plants to detect living or non-living support and curl around it, also allows it to access areas of more sunlight through this climbing
What is a Chemotropism?
A plants response to chemicals around it, such as pollen tubes growing towards the ovaries
How might a plant respond to touch? give an example
Leaves may fold inwards, shown in Mimosa pudica
- caused by rapid water uptake of cells at the base of each leaf, causing them to fold
- this is not a tropism as it is not caused by a directional stimulus, responses like these are called NASTIC movements
How might a plant respond to herbivory? (being eaten by herbivores)
Plants combat/respond to herbivory via having physical adaptations like thorns or spines on the leaves and stems Or by releasing/containing special chemicals in response to stress chemicals include: -Tannins -Alkaloids -Pheromones -terpenoids
What do Tannins do?
Water soluble chemicals stored in vacuole of plants, have a bitter taste that and can be poisonous. These factors can then deter animals from consuming them
What do plant Alkaloids do?
Alkaloids are nitrogenous chemicals in plants that are bitter tasting and can be toxic, particularly to herbivorous insects and some fungi
What do terpenoids do?
-They are toxic to insects and fungi s they are neurotoxins and repellants
What do plant pheromones do?
Chemicals released by one member of a species causing a physiological change in nearby same species, possible directly toxic to her herbivores and induce defensive changes in nearby plants
Give some examples of Abiotic stress factors
Freezing
Drought
Increased soil water salinity
Presence of heavy metals (e.g. lead, copper, zinc, mercury)
How may plants respond to abiotic stress?
- Plants can respond to drought by shutting their stomata (reducing water loss through transpiration) or by dropping their leaves
- Some plants can respond to temperatures below freezing by producing an antifreeze chemical in their cells, that decreases the formation of ice crystals that can destroy plant cells if allowed to form within them
what type of phototropism is displayed in plant shoots?
positive phototropism
Investigating tropism in plants:
What happens when the tip of a shoot is cut off or covered by an opaque cap?
It stopped having a phototrophic response to surrounding directional light sources, suggesting that the tip of the shoot is responsible for detecting light
Investigating tropism in plants:
What happens when the shoot tip is covered by a transparent cap or there is an opaque sheath protecting the base of the shoot?
The shoot responded to the directional light source and began to curve, meaning the base has does not assist in detecting direction light sources while the tip does
Investigating tropism in plants:
What happens when the tip of the shoot is separated from the res of the plant via an gelatine block?
The phototrophic response still happened in response to directional light, meaning that the stimulus for growth is hormonal, which can be transferred through the gelatine block
Investigating tropism in plants:
What happens when mica (impermeable to chemicals) is inserted as a barrier between the tip of the shoot and the stem?
Mica is impermeable to chemicals, this resulted in the shoot not having a phototrophic response as the hormones could not penetrate the barrier to stimulate growth