Plants and Photosynthesis Flashcards
What are 4 minerals needed for plant growth and how do they enter?
Nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, and magnesium. The get dissolved in soil water and enter the roots via osmosis.
What is germination?
Germination is the process by which a plant grows from a seed.
What 3 factors are required for germination?
Warmth, oxygen, and moisture.
What are the 5 stages of germination?
1) Water fills the seed (imbibition)
2) The water activates enzymes that begin the plant’s growth
3) The seed grows a root to access water underground
4) The seed grows shoots that grow towards the sun
5) The shoots grow leaves and begin photomorphogenesis
What is the main difference between a shoot and a root?
Shoots are parts of the plant that grow above the ground, whereas roots are parts of the plant that grow below the ground.
What are the parts of plants?
Stamen (Male Parts of a Plant):
- Anther
- Filament
Carpel (Female Parts of a Plant):
- Stigma
- Style
- Ovary
- Petals
- Sepals
What does the anther do?
It produces male sex cells contained in the pollen grain.
What does the filament do?
It holds up the anther.
What does the stigma do?
It traps pollen.
What does the style do?
It is where the pollen tube grows down to female sex cells.
What does the ovary do?
It produces female sex cells.
What is pollination?
Pollination is the transfer of pollen grains from an anther to a stigma. Pollen can be transferred by an animal or by the wind.
What is fertilisation (in plants)?
Fertilisation is the joining of sex cells. It takes place inside the ovary when the nucleus of pollen grains fuses with the nucleus of an ovule to produce a zygote.
What is a seed and what is seed formation?
A seed is a mature fertilised ovule of a plant. Seed formation is when a seed is formed.
What is seed dispersal?
Seed dispersal is the transport of seeds from the plant to another area in order to grow.
What are the 4 main ways of seed dispersal?
- Animal dispersal
- Wind dispersal
- Explosions
- Drop and Roll
What is animal dispersal?
It is when fruits get eaten and seeds come out of the animal’s droppings.
What is wind dispersal?
It is when wings help it fly away from the parent tree.
What is explosions?
It is when pods dry out and flick the seed out.
What is drop and roll?
It is when a fruit falls from a tree and seeds roll out.
What is photosynthesis?
Photosynthesis is a chemical process which occurs in every green plant, it makes food from sunlight, but mainly in the leaves.
What is the word and chemical equation for photosynthesis? What are the reactants and what are the products of photosynthesis?
carbon dioxide + water ==> glucose + oxygen (sunlight and chlorophyll are needed for photosynthesis)
6C02 + 6H20 ==> C6H1206 + 602
REACTANTS ==> PRODUCTS
What is chlorophyll and what does it do?
- Chlorophyll is a green chemical found within chloroplasts in cells exposed to light.
- It absorbs the light energy required to convert carbon dioxide into glucose
Where does photosynthesis take place?
Photosynthesis takes place in chloroplast, which is located mainly at the top of a leaf, where it requires the most light energy possible.
How are leaves adapted for photosynthesis?
Leaves are adapted for photosynthesis as:
- they are are broad, and have a large surface area for absorbing light
- most chloroplasts are found in cells at the top of the leaf, where they can get the most light
- contain openings, called stomata, which allow carbon dioxide into the leaf and oxygen out
What are 3 limiting factors for photosynthesis?
Temperature, Light Intensity, and Carbon Dioxide Concentration
What is self-pollination?
Self-pollination is pollen that is transferred from the anther to the stigma on the same plant.
What is cross-pollination?
Cross-pollination is pollen that is transferred from the anther of one plant to the stigma of another.
What are the two types of cross-pollination?
Insect and wind pollination
What characteristics do plants have if they’re insect pollinated?
- They have brightly coloured petals
- They have scented flowers and nectaries
- They make big, sticky pollen grains
- The stigma is sticky so will pick up pollen
What characteristics do plants have if they’re wind pollinated?
- Small, dull petals on the flower
- No nectaries or strong scents
- A lot of pollen grains
- Long filaments that hang the anther outside the flower
- A large and feathery stigma
