How plants are adapted to survive Flashcards
What does adhesion (of water molecules) refer to?
- adhesion is the binding of a cell to another cell or a cell to a surface through cell adhesion molecules
- water is able to form hydrogen bonds with other molecules which is known as adhesion
What does capillary action refer to? How does it occur?
- capillary action refers to liquid flowing through a narrow tube without the assistance of any force
- it occurs when the force of adhesion is greater than the force of cohesion
What does cohesion (of water molecules) refer to?
- cohesion refers to the state of cohering or sticking together of the same substance
- the sticking together is by intermolecular forces that hold molecules together
How does cohesion occur in plants?
- in plants cohesion occurs when water molecules stick together via hydrogen bonds in transpiration
What is the difference between cohesion and adhesion?
- cohesion is the attraction between molecules of the same substance while adhesion is the attraction between molecules of different substances
Define diffusion
diffusion is the net movement of molecules from a region of their higher concentration to a region of their lower concentration by relatively slow random movement of molecules
Define mass flow
- mass flow is the movement of water and solutes from high to low concentration across a selectively permeable membrane
Define osmosis
- osmosis is the net movement of water molecules from a region of higher water potential to a region of lower water potential through a partially permeable membrane
Define evaporation?
- the process of a liquid turning into a gas
Where are cell walls formed and what do they offer?
- cell walls are formed outside of the cell membrane and offer structural support to the cell by providing the polysaccharide cellulose
What does the middle lamella form? And what does it do?
- the middle lamella forms the outermost layer of the plant cell and acts like glue to stick adjacent plant cells together
- it provides stability to the plant
What are plasmodesmata? What does it allow?
- plasmodesmata are narrow threads of cytoplasm (surrounded by a cell membrane) which connect the cytoplasm of neighbouring plant cells
- this allows substances to be transported between plant cells and facilitates (enables) cell to cell communication
What are pits? How are they lined up? What does this do?
- these are very thin regions or the cell wall
- the pits in adjacent plant cells are lined up in pairs
- this facilitates (enables) transport of substances between cells
What are chloroplasts? What are chloroplasts the site of? What do they contain?
- chloroplasts are larger than mitochondria
- surrounded by a double membrane
- chloroplasts are the site of photosynthesis
- chloroplasts contain thylakoids
What else do chloroplasts contain? Why do they need this?
- chloroplasts contain small circular pieces of DNA and ribosomes
- this is used to synthesise proteins needed in chloroplast replication and photosynthesis
Where are thylakoids found? What are they? What do they form? What are lamellae?
- found in chloroplasts
- they are membrane-bound compartments which contain chlorophyll stack to form structures called grana
- grana are joined together by lamellae
- lamellae are thin and flat thylakoid membranes