Plant and Animal Responses Flashcards
Why might plants respond to stimuli?
In order to improve chance of survival which will increase their chance of having offspring
What could a plant do in response to threat from a herbivore?
Employ chemical defences
Give 3 examples of chemical defences
Tannins - deposited in leaves and are toxic to microorganisms and herbivores, make the leaf taste bad
Alkaloids - derived from amino acids, make plants taste bitter
Pheromones - chemicals released by one individual which can affect the behaviour or physiology of another
What are tropisms?
Directional growth responses of plants
Give 4 examples of different tropisms
Phototropism - grows towards the light
Geotropism - grows away from gravity
Chemotropism - can grow towards or away from a chemical
Thigmotropism - shoots of climbing plants wrap around structures to pull the plant up
What is the name given to the process where a plant grows TOWARDS a stimulus?
Positive tropic response
What is the name given to the process where a plant grows AWAY FROM a stimulus?
Negative tropic response
What is the name given to a non-directional response?
Nastic response
What controls plant responses?
Plant hormones
Give 5 examples of plant hormones
Cytokinins
Abscisic acid
Auxins
Gibberellins
Ethene
What do Cytokinins do?
Promote cell division
delay senescence
overcome apical dominance
What does Abscisic acid do?
Inhibits seed germination
Causes stomatal closure
What do Auxins do?
Promote cell elongation
Inhibit growth of side-shoots
Inhibit leaf abscission
What do Gibberellins do?
Promote see germination
Promote growth of stems
What does Ethene do?
Promotes fruit ripening
Where does growth occur in plants?
Meristems
What are the 3 types of meristem?
Apical meristem - found in the apex of roots and cause them to grow longer
Lateral bud meristem - found in buds, allow side shoots to grow
Lateral meristem - form a cylinder near the outside of shoots and roots and allow them to grow wider
How could you investigate the effect of phototropism?
There is a test plant and a control plant
The control plant is illuminated equally from all sides, whereas the test plant is only illuminated from 1 side
Leave them to grow for a few days
The test plant will grow towards the light whereas the control will grow straight up
How could you investigate the effect of geotropism?
Plants are positioned perpendicular to the ground
A control plant is placed on a klinostat which spends very slowly meaning gravity has the same effect on all sides of the plant
An experimental plant is left to grow in the perpendicular position
The control will grow straight whereas the experimental plant will bend away from the ground
When light is shining on one side of the shoot, where would the auxins move to?
The shaded side
How does auxin cause the stem to bend?
It promotes active transport of H+ from the membrane into the cell wall
This lowers pH to a level which is optimum for certain enzymes which break down bonds in cellulose causing the cell wall to be less rigid
How is auxin involved in geotropic actions of roots?
If a root is lying flat, auxin accumulates on the lower side of the root, inhibiting cell elongation
The top side continues to grow which causes the root to bend
Give some commercial uses for auxins
Rooting powder, for growing plants promotes root growth
Growing seedless fruit - treating unpollinated flowers with auxin can grow seedless fruit
Herbicides - In high concentrations, they promote soot growth so much that the stem cant support itself and dies
Give a commercial use of Cytokinins
Because they delay leaf senescence, used to prevent yellowing of lettuce leaves after they are picked
Give commercial uses of Gibberellins
Fruit production - they can make fruit last longer in shops and allow fruit to grow bigger
Brewing - Increase the rate of production of malt which comes from barley seeds
Sugar production - increases the length of sugar cane which improves yield
Give commercial uses of Ethene
Speeding up fruit ripening
Promoting fruit drop in cotton, cherry and walnut
How and why might one want to restrict ethene’s effects in industry?
Ethene could reduce shelf life of bananas when shipping them from the Caribbean
Storing them at low temperatures with little Oxygen and high Carbon dioxide levels prevents ethene synthesis
What is the role of the nervous system?
To coordinate rapid responses to external stimuli
What are the two parts of the nervous system?
Central nervous system
Peripheral Nervous system
What are the two parts of the peripheral nervous system?
Sensory system
Motor system
What are the two parts of the motor nervous system?
Somatic system
Autonomic System
What is the difference in structure of the cells in white and grey matter in nervous tissues?
White matter contains myelinated neurones, whereas grey matter contains non-myelinated neurones
What is the role of sensory neurones?
To deliver action potentials from sensory receptors to the CNS
What is the role of the somatic motor nervous system?
To conduct action potentials from the CNS to the effector muscles under conscious control
E.g any skeletal muscle
What is the role of the autonomic motor nervous system?
To conduct action potentials from CNS to the effectors that are under subconscious control
E.g the heart or many glands
What are the two parts of the autonomic nervous system?
Sympathetic system
Parasympathetic system
What is the role of the sympathetic nervous system?
To prepare the body for action
e.g fight or flight response
What is the role of the parasympathetic nervous system?
To conserve energy and allow normal vital function