Chapter 5: Roots and Soils

Question 1

What do roots do?

Answer 1

anchor trees firmly in the soil, absorb water and minerals in solution, store and conduct

Question 2

the part of an embryo in a seed that develops into a root

Answer 2

radicle

Question 3

an immature sporophyte that develops from a zygote within an ovule or archegonium after fertilization

Answer 3

embryo

Question 4

What are the regions of roots?

Answer 4

root cap, region of cell division, region of elongation, region of maturation/differentiation

Question 5

a thimble-shaped mass of cells at the tip of a growing root; functions primarily in protection

Answer 5

root cap

Question 6

area of actively dividing cells at an apical meristem
-cells are composed of an apical meristem in the center of the root tip

Answer 6

region of cell division

Question 7

area near an apical meristem in which cells grow in length and width

Answer 7

region of elongation

Question 8

area of maturing cells near an apical meristem

Answer 8

region of maturation/differentiation

Question 9

area of cells in a root in which protuberances of epidermal cells can be found

Answer 9

root-hair zone

Question 10

a colorless, starch-forming plastid found in roots and involved in gravity perception

Answer 10

amyloplast

Question 11

the primary meristem that gives rise to the epidermis

Answer 11

protoderm

Question 12

meristem that produces all the primary tissues other than the epidermis and stele

Answer 12

ground meristem

Question 13

a primary meristematic tissue that differentiates into primary xylem and phloem

Answer 13

procambium

Question 14

a tissue produced by the vascular cambium or the cork cambium

Answer 14

secondary tissue

Question 15

a primary tissue composed mainly of parenchyma; the tissue usually extends between the epidermis and the vascular tissue

Answer 15

cortex

Question 16

a single layer of cells surrounding the vascular tissue (stele) in roots and some stems; the cells have Casparian strips

Answer 16

endodermis

Question 17

a band of suberin around the radial and transverse walls of an endodermal cell; blocks the passive flow of water and solutes into vascular tissue

Answer 17

Casparian strip

Question 18

a thin-walled cell of an endodermis

Answer 18

passage cell

Question 19

a core of tissues, including xylem and phloem, that lies to the inside of the endodermis

Answer 19

vascular cylinder

Question 20

tissue sandwiched between the endodermis and phloem of a root; gives rise to lateral roots

Answer 20

pericycle

Question 21

What are examples of plants with food-storage roots?

Answer 21

sweet potatoes, yams, water hemlocks, dandelions, salsify, carrots, beets, turnips, and radishes

Question 22

What are some examples of plants with water-storage roots?

Answer 22

some members of the Pumpkin Family (Cucurbitaceae)

Question 23

said of buds developing in internodes or on roots, or of roots developing along stems or on leaves

Answer 23

adventitious

Question 24

spongy root extending above the surface of the water, produced by a plant growing in water; facilitate oxygen absorption
-ex: some swamp plants, such as the black mangrove and yellow water weed

Answer 24

pneumatophore

Question 25

root formed above the ground

Answer 25

aerial root

Question 26

What are some examples of plants with aerial roots?

Answer 26

velamen roots of orchids, prop roots of corn and banyan trees, adventitious roots of ivies

Question 27

roots of parasitic plants; a protuberance of a fungal hypha or plant organ such as a root that functions as a penetrating and absorbing structure

Answer 27

haustorium (pl. haustoria)

Question 28

an organism that lacks chlorophyll and obtains nutrients from dead or decaying organic matter

Answer 28

saprophyte

Question 29

an organism that is attached to and grows on another organism without parasitizing it

Answer 29

epiphyte

Question 30

a parasite that feeds upon another parasite

Answer 30

epiparasite

Question 31

a plant that obtains its carbon from a fungus rather than from photosynthesis

Answer 31

myco-heterotroph

Question 32

a symbiotic association between fungal hyphae and a plant root
-mutualistic association where both the fungus and the root benefit from it and are dependent upon the association for survival
-essential to the normal growth and development of forest tree and most herbaceous plants, and they facilitate the uptake of water and inorganic ions

Answer 32

mycorrhizae

Question 33

a small swelling associated with nitrogen-fixing bacteria that invade the roots of leguminous plants and alders

Answer 33

root nodule

Question 34

What do humans use roots for?

Answer 34

food, crops, dye, medicine/drugs, insecticide, hunting
-Rotenone is obtained from the barbasco plant and is used to poison fish but won’t poison anything else in the stream
-Nicotine from tobacco plants
-Drugs obtained from roots include aconite, ipecac, gentian, and reserpine

Question 35

a substance consisting of a medium in which fine particles are permanently dispersed

Answer 35

colloid

Question 36

What root system is root A?

Answer 36

fibrous root system in monocots

Question 37

What root system is root B?

Answer 37

taproot system in dicots

Question 38

What root is this a cross section of?

Answer 38

monocot root

Question 39

What root is this a cross section of?

Answer 39

dicot root

Question 40

root system where no one root is prominent over others, and it is great for stopping soil erosion

Answer 40

fibrous root system in monocots

Question 41

root system with a primary root and lateral roots

Answer 41

taproot systems in dicots