Chapter 35 - Plant Structure, Growth, and Development Flashcards
tissue
An integrated group of cells with a common structure, function, or both.
organ
A specialized center of body function composed of several different types of tissues.
root system
All of a plant’s roots, which anchor it in the soil, absorb and transport minerals and water, and store food.
shoot system
The aerial portion of a plant body, consisting of stems, leaves, and (in angiosperms) flowers.
root
An organ in vascular plants that anchors the plant and enables it to absorb water and minerals from the soil.
taproot
A main vertical root that develops from an embryonic root and gives rise to lateral (branch) roots.
lateral root
A root that arises from the pericycle of an established root.
root hair
A tiny extension of a root epidermal cell, growing just behind the root tip and increasing surface area for absorption of water and minerals.
stem
A vascular plant organ consisting of an alternating system of nodes and internodes that support the leaves and reproductive structures.
node
A point along the stem of a plant at which leaves are attached.
internode
A segment of a plant stem between the points where leaves are attached.
axillary bud
A structure that has the potential to form a lateral shoot, or branch. The bud appears in the angle formed between a leaf and a stem.
apical bud
A bud at the tip of a plant stem; also called a terminal bud.
apical dominance
Tendency for growth to be concentrated at the tip of a plant shoot, because the apical bud partially inhibits axillary bud growth.
leaf
The main photosynthetic organ of vascular plants.
blade
(1) A leaflike structure of a seaweed that provides most of the surface area for photosynthesis. (2) The flattened portion of a typical leaf.
petiole
The stalk of a leaf, which joins the leaf to a node of the stem.
vein
(1) In animals, a vessel that carries blood toward the heart. (2) In plants, a vascular bundle in a leaf.
tissue system
One or more tissues organized into a functional unit connecting the organs of a plant.
dermal tissue system
The outer protective covering of plants.
epidermis
(1) The dermal tissue system of non-woody plants, usually consisting of a single layer of tightly packed cells. (2) The outermost layer of cells in an animal.
cuticle
(1) A waxy covering on the surface of stems and leaves that prevents desiccation in terrestrial plants. (2) The exoskeleton of an arthropod, consisting of layers of protein and chitin that are variously modified for different functions. (3) A tough coat that covers the body of a nematode.
periderm
The protective coat that replaces the epidermis in woody plants during secondary growth, formed of the cork and cork cambium.
vascular tissue system
A transport system formed by xylem and phloem throughout a vascular plant. Xylem transports water and minerals; phloem transports sugars, the products of photosynthesis.
xylem
Vascular plant tissue consisting mainly of tubular dead cells that conduct most of the water and minerals upward from the roots to the rest of the plant.
phloem
Vascular plant tissue consisting of living cells arranged into elongated tubes that transport sugar and other organic nutrients throughout the plant.
stele
The vascular tissue of a stem or root.
ground tissue system
Plant tissues that are neither vascular nor dermal, fulfilling a variety of functions, such as storage, photosynthesis, and support.
pith
Ground tissue that is internal to the vascular tissue in a stem; in many monocot roots, parenchyma cells that form the central core of the vascular cylinder.
cortex
(1) The outer region of cytoplasm in a eukaryotic cell, lying just under the plasma membrane, that has a more gel-like consistency than the inner regions due to the presence of multiple microfilaments. (2) In plants, ground tissue that is between the vascular tissue and dermal tissue in a root or eudicot stem.
