Pheremones and folding

Question 1

What is a pheremone?

Answer 1

• chemical made by an organism which affect the social behaviour of other members of the same species
• althought plants do not behave socially, there are a few instances where they could regarded as using pheremones to defend themselves

Question 2

How are pheremones used in plants? (2 examples)

Answer 2

• maple tree attacked by insects
  
  • releases a pheremones which is absorbed by leaves on other branches
  • the leaves then make callose to protect themselves if they are attacked
  • also spreads to nearby tree
• root systems
  
  • chemicals produced in root system to tell a neighbour if it is under stress

Question 3

What are volatile organic compounds (VOCs)?

Answer 3

• produced by plants
• act as pheremones between themselves and other organisms
  
  • particularly insects
• diffuse in air around plant
• used to defend themselves

Question 4

When are VOCs usually made?

Answer 4

• when the plants detects an attack by an insect pest through chemical in the saliva of the insect
• may elicit gene switching

Question 5

How may VOCs work?

Answer 5

• attrack predators of the herbavores
• may trigger other plants to begin to produce the VOC before they are attacked

Question 6

How does the movement of plants vary?

Answer 6

• most to slow to follow with the naked eye
• w/ the exception of insectivorous plants
• some plants move at speeds you can see

Question 7

WHy do some plants fold?

Answer 7

• scared larger herbivors
• dislodges small insects that has landeds

Question 8

How does folding occur?

Answer 8

• leaf falls in a few seconds
• takes 10 miuutes to recover
• as a result of potassium ion movement into specific cells
• followed by osmotic water movement