Chapter 6 - Plants - Random Questions Flashcards
What is a limiting factor?
A factor which inhibits growth/ anything in short supply that prevents photosynthesis occurring at its maximum rate
What is the role of the green pigment ‘chlorophyll‘?
To transfer energy from the environment and use it to synthesise glucose from carbon dioxide and water
List ways in which glucose (produced by photosynthesis) is used in plants
- used for respiration
- used to produce cellulose to strengthen cell walls
- converted into insoluble starch for storage
- used to produce fats or oils for storage
- used to produce amino acids for protein synthesis
What are palisade cells?
Regular-shaped cells that have lots of chloroplasts. Most photosynthesis talks place in this layer
What do guard cells do?
They control the stomata - close when there is no water available
Where does water evaporate from and through what process?
From the leaves through the stomata - transpiration
Where does a plant get the reactants it needs for photosynthesis from?
Carbon dioxide - through stomata
Water - through roots
Light - from sun
How do plants conserve water?
- have wide shallow roots to collect as much water as possible
- have smaller leaf surface area so less water is lost through transpiration
- thick cuticles prevent water loss between cells
What do root hairs do?
Enlarge the surface area of the root meaning that more water (and minerals) can be absorbed into the plant by osmosis. The cellulose in the cell wall helps absorb the water
How does water get from the soil to the roots?
Osmosis
Where does water go when it is in the roots?
Travels up the plant, through the xylem, to all the cells that require water
What is lignin?
The special chemical that water-proofs xylem vessels. It stops water leaving the vessels by osmosis (impermeable) as it passes up the plant (so that not all the water gets used up straight away by cells at the bottom and therefore let some get to the top)
How are sugar and other nutrients from the leaves transported, and what is this process called?
Through the phloem - transported from leaves (where they are produced in the form of sap) to places in the plant where they are needed - translocation
List properties of a xylem vessel:
- only up
- transports water and minerals
- no end walls between cells
- thick walls stiffened with lignin
- dead tissue - empty tube
TRANSPIRATION
List some properties of a phloem vessel:
- transports water and food (sap)
- cells have end walls with perforations - sieve tube elements (porous cell walls, nutrients can flow between)
- companion cells
- two way flow
- living tissue/ cells
TRANSLOCATION
What is the transpiration rate?
The rate at which water escapes out of a plant
Name some factors that effect the transpiration rate and explain how:
~ temperature - the warmer it is, the more kinetic energy in the water particles and the faster the water evaporates
~ humidity - if high humidity, rate is low as the air is already full of water
~ wind speed - the windier it is, the faster moist air is taken away from the leaf surface (dryer air) so the concentration gradient is bigger and the transpiration rate increases
~ light intensity - transpiration is faster when the stomata are open in the light
~ surface area of leaf - large surface area, more stomata, more water loss (higher rate of transpiration)
Why do all plant tissues require water to survive?
For support and photosynthesis
What is osmosis?
The movement of water from an area of high concentration to an area of low concentration through a partially permeable membrane
What are stomata?
Holes on the underside of the leaf, through which gases move in and out
What are plasmodesmata?
Small holes that make up the sieve
What are sieve tube elements?
Porous cell walls in phloem vessels that nutrients can flow between - freely permeable membranes (anything can pass through)
What is translocation?
The movement of assimilates (sugars and other chemicals), made by plant cells , along the phloem
How does the time of year effect the movement in the phloem (translocation)?
- in summer - movement down to roots
- in spring - movement up to shoots and leaves
What is the main assimilate?
Sucrose - plants makes glucose in photosynthesis, but turns it into sucrose
Where do sugars move to and from?
They move from a source to a sink
What is the source?
Anywhere sucrose is released into the phloem (where it is made)
What is the sink?
Anywhere sucrose is removed from the phloem (where it is used)