Exam 2 Flashcards
Modular Growth
growth that occurs by adding repeated units (modules to the body). lends to the plasticity of the plant. Plants can survive losing large portion of their shoot to herbivory because they have these repeating modules
What is a meristem
collection of undifferentiated cells, lack specialized function
What are the different types of meristems?
Apical, Intercalary, Axillary, root apical, inflorescence
What is apical meristem?
undifferentiated tissue at the tip of a growing stem or branch. Production of new cells behind the apical meristem allows the stem to grow. Cells differentiate to perform different functions.
Also include nodes/internodes
What is a node (apical meristem)
point of cell proliferation where leaves or flowers will develop. Often visible as a bump. Primordium (bud) develops here.
What is an internode
stem between nodes. Rosette plants (ex: cabbage) have very short internodes.
What is intercalaray meristem
group of cells generated at a node. These cells when activated allow the internodes to keep elongating. Make it possible for plants to regrow after fire or after leaves are eaten by herbivores.
Axillary meristem
meristem located at each node on the leaf axil (where leaf and stem join). Produces axillary bud. Inactive when apical meristem is intact.
Root apical meristem
control root growth. Located behind the root cap (loosely held cells that slough off as the root extends through the soil). Roots do not have nodes or internodes. Roots branch when special differentiated cells resume active division. Each new branch has its own meristem.
Inflorescence
floral structures of a plant. These develop from meristems (apical and axillary) that cease to be meristems and instead produce floral structures.
What is apical dominance?
axillary meristems are inactive when the apical meristem is intact. Apical meristem produces hormones (ex: auxins) that inhibit the proliferation of cells in the axillary meristems.
What is Primary growth?
increasing in size by growth of apical (and axillary?) meristems.
Secondary growth
increasing girth by producing woody tissue (secondary xylem). All perennial gymnosperms and most perennial angiosperms.
As stems mature the vascular bundles grow together and coalesce to form a sheath around the inner part of the stem. Between xylem and phloem (just under phloem and epidermis) the vascular cambium forms. Vascular cambium extends much the length of the stem.
What is clonal growth?
vegetative reproduction or the reproduction of a new ramet? Example of apoximis (asexual reproduction). Produces a collection of new ramets that are integrated (at least initially).
What are the various forms of clonal growth?
Stolons Rhizomes Bulbs suckers colonal fragmentation plantlets bulbils
stolons
branches or stems that run just above the surface of the soil and generate ramets at nodes touching the ground.
rhizomes
underground horizontal stems growing near the soil surface.
bulbs
underground rosette stems that store nutrients and can divide to form new ramets.
Suckers
meristematic buds on some of the near surface roots capable of generating new stems and leaves.
clonal fragmentation
pieces of the plant break off and are capable of rooting to form new ramets which are not physiologically integrated with the other ramets.
plantlets
small plants created vegetatively
Plantlets along leaves that can become dislodged and form new plants
bulbils
tiny bulb-like organs on inflorescences or leaf axils.
What is a genet?
a genetic individual. Product of a single seed. A single genet may consist of several functioning ramets. Example: a stand of quaking aspens may all be one genet, but each perceived individual tree is a ramet.
What is a ramet?
potentially physiologically independent unit of a genet. Ramets can be dependent or independent.
relationship of ramets and genets
The distribution of ramets depends on competition among genets and distribution of resources.
What are adventitious roots?
roots that originate from the stem. Help tree-like monocots increase in girth.
What is the difference between “Guerilla” and “phalanx” growth.
Phalanx = ramets penetrate their competitor’s territory like a classic army (grouped tightly together).
Guerilla = ramets penetrate their competitor’s territory like a guerilla army (more dispersed).
This terminology has fallen out of favor since grouped / dispersed is subjective, plants have multiple competitors (and may employ multiple strategies), and the perceptions of grouped / dispersed are scale dependent.
What is clonal integration?
the degree to which the ramets within a genet are physiologically interconnected. Includes resource translocation and information communication.
What is agamospermy?
asexual seed production. Involves partial meiosis w/o reduction division so chromosome number remains unchanged or no meiosis.
Advantages of asexual reproduction
Preserves favorable genetic combos
Reproduction at low population densities
Eliminates need for flowers
Individuals pass on twice as much genetic material as their sexual relatives
Having interconnected ramets allows ramets to exist in nutrient poor locations because of resource sharing within the entire genet. This can improve overall vigor of the genet.
What is a pollination syndrome?
association of certain floral attributes with particular types of pollinators (usually taxonomic orders or classes). Results from tightly coevolved mutualisms.
Plants can also evolve to be pollination generalists that are visited by a variety of animals.
Bee pollinated
yellow, sweet smelling, broad enough for bees to contact stigma and anthers, produce nectar during day.
Bird-pollinated
red or orange, produce copious nectar (but little scent), have long tubes or spurs.
Moth pollinated
white or pale yellow
bat pollinated
white or brown, musty odors
Flies gnats
animal dung or rotting tissue
What is a dispersal syndrome?
morphological characterstics of seeds corresponding to their dispersal agents. More detail?
What opportunities do plants have for movement?
Plants have the opportunity to move their gametes or their seeds.
What is a seed?
embryonic sporophyte embedded in a female gametophyte and covered in one or more integuments derived from the maternal sporophyte.
Diaspore
dispersal unit of a plant (fruit, seed, or related structure).
What is a fruit and what is its function in dispersal?
Fruit = matured ovary (or ovaries) of one or more flowers and associated structures.
Function = protect seed and aid in seed dispersal. These functions often conflict.
What is an eliasome and what is its function in dispersal?
a lipid body attached to a seed. This lipid body attracts ants which carry it to their nest to eat and discard the seed.
What is a dispersal kernel?
a model that estimates the probability of a seed dispersing at various distances form the parent. Difficult to obtain enough data for long distance dispersal.
Wind dispersed seeds migrate faster than animal dispersed seeds.