Zusammenfassung der Ressource
Biology Unit 5.4.1-
Plant Responses
- Why plants respond to
the environment
- Plants respond to stimuli
- responding to external stimuli is
how plants avoid being stressed
or being eaten and to help them
survive long enough to
reproduce
- Tropism- directional
growth response
(hormones) in which
direction of the response
is determined by the
direction of the external
stimuli
- Phototropism- shoot grows towards
light (positive phototrophic). enables
them to photosynthesise. (more shoots,
less roots)
- Geotropism- roots grow
towards pull of gravity-
anchors them in soil and
helps them take up water.
needed for support
(Turgid), photosynthesise
and cool plant, water has
minerals (nitrates)
needed for amino
synthesis
- chemotropism- on flower, pollen tubes grow
down the style, attracted by chemicals towards
ovary (fertilisation occurs)
- Thigmotropism- shoots of climbing plant
(ivy) wind around other plants to gain
support
- Hydrotropism
- Animals respond to biotic
(living) and abiotic (non
livivng) components of
environment.
- What controls plant hormones
- Hormones co ordinate
plant response
- plant hormones reffered to as plant growth regulators
because unlike animals, hormones not produced in
endocrine gland but by cells in various tissues in plant
- Hormones move around by
- Active transport
- diffusion
- Mass flow- in
phloem sap/
xylem vessels
- Plant hormones and their effects
- Auxins (IAA- indole-3-acetic acid)
- promotes cell elongation,
inhibits growth of side
shoots, inhibints leaf
abscission (falling off)
- Cytokinin
- promotes cell division
- Gibberellins
- promotes seed
germination and stem
growth
- Abscisic acid
- inhibits seed germination and
growth, causes stomatal closures
when plant is stressed
- ethene
- protoes fruit ripening
- How plants respond to the environment
- Plant Growth
- Cell wall of plant limit ability to expand and divide.
therefore, growth occurs in particular places of
plants where there are immature cells that are
capable of diving. these are MERISTEMS
- Meristems...
- Apical
- located at
tip/apices of
roots, shoots.
responsible for
roots and shoots
getting longer
- Lateral bud
- Found in bids,
give rise to side
shoots
- Lateral
- cylinder near outside of roots
and shoots. responsible for
roots and shoots widening
- Intercalary
- between nodes where
leaves and buds branch of
stem. growth between
nodes responsible for shoot
getting longer
- cell division occurs close to apex--> cell
elongation behind apex --> auxins produced
in apex--> auxins travel (diffusion, AT) -->
cells in zone of elongation -->
elongate/shoots grow
- extent to which cell elongates is
proportional to conc of auxlins.. more
Auxins = increase in wall stretchiness
by promoting AT of H+ by ATPase on
plasma membrane--> cell wall--> lowers
pH therefore, optimum condition for
wall loosening enzymes to work
Expanisins- break cellulose bonds,
increase H+ conc, disrupt hydrogen
bonds with wall therefore, less rigid and
expands to take in water.
- What causes phototropism
- 1. shoots bend
towards light-
phototropism-->
shaded side
elongates faster
than illuminated-->
pushes shoot end
towards light.
- 2. Auxins transported to shaded side,
increases rate of elongation.
- 3. enzymes identified-
Phototropin 1, phototropin
2 (promoted by blue light).
there is alot of activity of
P1 on light side, thought
that change in gradient
causes redistribution of
auxins
- Shedding leaves
- Cytokinins stop leaves of
deciduous trees senescing
(ageing). Leaf acts as sink for
phloem transport, therefore, leaf
garunteed good supply of
nutrients.
- cytokinins conc drops, supply
of nutrients drop, senescing
begins, leaves shed
(abscission)
- Auxins inhibit Abscission by
acting on cells in abscission
zone BUT..
- leaf
sensecing
causes auxin
production to
drop at tip
- makes cells more
sensative in zone to other
growing substances
(ethene)
- low auxin conc,
high ethene
conc
- increase in cellulase digest
cell walls in abcission zone,
separating pepitole from
stem
- Controlling plant growth
- Apical dominane
- growing apical bud at tip
inhibits growth of lateral buds
futher down shoot. When tip
removed, auxin conc in shoot
low and bud grows.
- Hypothesis test:
applied auxin
containing paste to cut
end of shoot, lateral
end didnt grow
- other factors may cause lateral
bud to not grow- oxygen
exposure to cut end could
produce hormone promoting
lateral bud growth
- Thimann and Skoog applied ring of auxin
transport inhibitors below shoot apex. lateral
bud grew. thereofre, norm auxin conc in
lateral inhibits growth and decreased conc
promotes growth. BUT both variables may be
affected by a third.
- Gocal- auxin conc in
lateral of kidney bean plant
was high when shoot cut. 2
hormones invovled:
- Absicicis acid- inhibit bud
growth, increase auxin conc,
keep acid levels high, when tip
removed, hormone decrease,
bud grows
- Cytokinins- bud growth. direct
application = override apical
dominane effect. High auxin
conc = shoot apex a sink for
cytokinins in root. Meant that
most cytokinin goes to shoot
apex. When removed, cytokinin
spread evenly around plant
promoting growth
- Gibberellins and stem elongation
- giberellic acid responsible for plant
stem growth
- Commercial use of plant hormones
- Auxins
- 1. Taking cuttings- dip cut end into rooting
powder before planting. Encourages root
growth as it contains auxins, fungicides and
talcum powder
- 2. Seedless fruits- Treating unpollinated
with auxins poromotes seedless fruits,
promotes ovule growth, triggers automatic
auxin production
- 3. Herbicides- Transported in phloem to all plants
for a longer effect as there are no close fit
enzymes
- Gibberellins
- 1. Fruit production- delays senescene in
citrus, extending time for fruit picking.
improves apple shape, elongates grape stalks
- 2. Brewing- Speed up
Brewing process of
alcohol
- 3. sugar production- spraying sugar
cane stimulates growth between nodes
and males stems longer thereofore more
sugar yield (4.5 tonnes by hectar)
- 4. Plant Breeding- speed up growth
processes by inducing seed
fermentation in young trees
- Cytokinins- prevents yellowing in pickled lettuce leaves,
promotes bud and shoot growth. short shoots with many
branches produced
- Ethene- speeds up fruit ripening (apple,
tomatoes, citrus), promotes fruit drop (cotton,
cherry, walnuts), promotes female sex
expression (cucumbers), decrease chances of
self pollination and increase yield. lateral
growth