Plant Science - Root Adaptations Flashcards
Water and mineral nutrients are taken in through the…
Root hairs
True or False: The ability of plants to propagate via their root system can be both an advantage and a disadvantage in the garden.
True. Propagation from suckers, runners, shoot tips and isolated pieces of root allows horticulturists to produce new plants with relative ease. However, it does mean that plants can spread, becoming a problem.
Prop roots, new roots on cuttings, buttress roots, aerial roots and fibrous roots are all types of what?
Adventitious roots
Plants living in permanently or regularly wet habitats have root adaptations that allow them to access…
Oxygen
What is the purpose of pneumatophores?
Grow above the surface of the soil, allowing gas exchange through lenticels in plants living in wet habitats/that are aquatic.
What is the term for a plant’s growth response towards or away from a stimulus?
Tropism
Describe a taproot
A taproot develops from the radicle of the seed and grows downwards.
Lateral roots grow from it to form a rootball.
In some species it is adapted to store carbohydrates so the plant can perennate.
What are the features of fibrous roots?
Relatively shallow
All roots similarly sized
Adventitious
Typical of monocots
True or False: Gravitropism enables the radicle to grow downwards and the plumule to grow upwards from seeds, regardless of what orientation the seed is planted at.
This is true. Gravitropism also enables stems to grow upwards if a plant is knocked over.
What is root foraging?
Plants are able to grow more roots and form more root branches when they encounter an area of soil with more water and nutrients.
What are tubers?
Swollen roots that store carbohydrates and water
What are nodules?
Structures on roots that house nitrogen-fixing bacteria
What are aerial roots?
Roots that emerge from above-ground parts of plants, may photosynthesise.
What are the functions of aerial roots?
Photosynthesis
Climbing
Gathering water
