Coordination In Plants Flashcards
Define stimulus
A change in the environment that causes an organism to change its behavior
What is a tropism?
A growth movement of part of a plant in response to a unidirectional stimulus
Give an example of phototropism in plants
- shoots and coleoptiles are positively phototropic
- Some roots are negatively phototrophic for example some roots of climbers like ivy
Give an example of geotropism in plants
- Shoots are negatively geotropic
- Roots are positively geotropic
Give an example of chemotropism in plants
- Pollen tubes are positively chemotropic in response to chemical produced at micropyle of ovule
- Hyphae of some fungi are positively chemotropic eg mucor
Give an example of hydrotropism in plants
- All plant roots are positively hydrotropic
Give an example of thigmotropism in plants
- Tendrils are positively thigmotropic
- Central tentacles of sundew (an insectivorous plant) are positively thigmotropic
Give an example of aerotropism in plants
- Pollen tubes are negatively aerotropic
- Breathing roots of mangroves are positively aerotropic
What is a taxis?
A movement of an entire organism in response to a unidirectional stimulus
Give an example of phototaxis
- Euglena swim towards light
- Chloroplasts move towards light
- Earthworms and cockroaches move away from light
Give an example of chemotaxis
- Sperms of mosses, ferns and liverworts swim towards substance’s released by the ovum
- Motile bacteria move towards various food substances
- Mosquitoes avoid insect repellents
Give an example of aerotaxis
- Motile bacteria move towards oxygen
Give an example of geotaxis
- Larvae of some cnidarians swim towards the sea bed
What is a nasty?
A non-directional movement of part of a plant in response to an external stimulus
Give an example of photonasty
- Leguminous plants lower their leaves in the dark and raise them in the light
- Sunflowers close at night
Give an example of thermonasty
- Petals of flowers like crocus and tulip open at temperatures around 16 degrees celsius and close below this
Give an example of thigmonasty
- Venus fly trap leaves close rapidly when touched
What are plant hormones/ growth substances?
These are chemical substances produced in plants which accelerate, inhibit or otherwise modify growth
What are the five major plant growth substances?
- Auxins (Indoleacetic acid) [growth promoter]
- Gibberellins [growth promoter]
- Cytokinins [growth promoter]
- Abscissic acid [growth inhibitor]
- Ethene [growth inhibitor]
What do auxins do and where do they mostly occur?
- They are growth promoters
- Found at the apices of shoots and roots
What is the mode of action of auxins in plants?
- When present in a plant cell, they promote movement of hydrogen ions from the cytoplasm to the cell wall
- This makes the cell wall more acidic in nature as it gains a lower pH
- The cell wall becomes loosened due to breaking of hydrogen bonds catalyzed by enzymes called expansins
- There is osmotic uptake of water into the cell
- There is increased turgor and the cell expands, leading to elongation
What are the effects of auxins?
- Promotes growth in shoots
- Inhibits growth in roots
- Enforces dormancy of lateral buds
- Promotes growth of adventitious roots and lateral roots
- Inhibits leaf loss (abscission)
- Promotes cell division (with cytokinins)
- Increases ethene production
- Promote parthenocarpy (fruit formation without fertilization)
- Selective weed killers
- Promote tropic responses which enable the plants to respond to gravity and light
How do extremely high amounts of auxins inhibit growth in plants?
Stimulate the production of ethene which inhibits growth
Where are cytokinins mainly found?
Actively growing tissues eg roots, embryos and fruits
What are the effects of cytokinins?
- Stimulate cell division (with auxins)
- Delay leaf aging
- Promote formation of buds
How do cytokinins show anti-aging effects to the plants?
Retard the aging of certain plant organs by inhibiting protein breakdown
(Dipping leaves in cytokinin solution stay green much longer)