What is abiotic stress?Give an example
Non-living environmental factor that could harm a plant, e.g mineral deficiency,drought,depleted oxygen supply,pollution
How do plants respond to abiotic stress and herbivory? [4]
Produce anti-freeze enzymes
May contain bitter-tasting tannins
May contain bitter-tasting nitrogen compounds called alkaloids
Release cell-signalling pheromones to trigger defensive responses in other organisms
How does Mimosa pudica respond to being touched?
The leaves fold due to seismonasty
What is a plant tropism?
Directional growth response of plants
What is phototropism?
Response to light
What is geotropism?
Response to gravity
What is hydrotropism?
Response to water
What is thermotropism
Response to temperature
What is thigmotropism?
Response to touching a surface or object
How is leaf loss in deciduous plants controlled? [3]
As leaf ages, cytokinin and auxin levels lower,ethene level increases
Triggers production of cellulase enzymes which weaken leaves by breaking down cell walls in abscission layers
Leaves break from branch, and Suberin layer forms to prevent entry of pathogens
List the functions of gibberellins [4]
Stimulates germination
Elongation at cell internodes
Fruit growth
Rapid growth/flowering
How is germination stimulated? [4]
Seed absorbs water, activating embryo to secrete gibberellins
Gibberellins diffuse to aleurone layer,which produces amylase
Amylase diffuses to endosperm layer to hydrolyse starch.
Hexose sugars act as respiratory substrate to produce ATP as ‘energy currency’
List the functions of auxins [4]
Involved in trophies responses
Control cell elongation
Suppress lateral buds to maintain apical dominance
Promote root growth e.g in rooting powder
Outline the positive phototropic response shown by shoots [5]
IAA diffuses to shaded side of shoot tip
This causes active transport of H⁺ Into cell wall
Disruption to H-bonds between cellulose molecules plus the action of expansins makes the cell more permeable to water
Cells on shaded side elongate faster due to higher turgor pressure
Shoot bends towards light
Outline the gravitropic response of roots [3]
Gravity causes IAA to accumulate on lower side of the root
IAA inhibits elongation of root cells
Cells on the upper side of the root elongate faster, so the root tip bends downwards
How do hormones stimulate stomata to close? [4]
Abscisic acid binds to complementary receptors on guard cell membrane, causing Ca²⁺ Ion channels on tonoplast to open. Ca²⁺ Ions diffuse from vacuole into cytosol
Positive feedback triggers other ion channels to open, causing them to diffuse out of the guard cell
Water potential of guard cell becomes more positive. Water diffuses out via osmosis.
Guard cells become flaccid so stomata close
What hormones maintain apical dominance?
Maintained by the action of auxin, abscisic acid and cytokinins
Explain the experimental evidence that auxins maintain apical dominance
When the site of auxin production, the apex, was removed, these two things happened:
Auxin levels drop,causing abscisic acid levels to drop
Cytokinins diffuse evenly to promote bud growth in other parts of plant, causing lateral buds
Explain the experimental evidence that gibberellins control stem elongation and germination. [2]
Stem elongation-Tall plants have higher gibberellins concentration than dwarf plants
Germination-Mutant seeds with non-functional gibberellins gene do not germinate unless gibberellin is applied externally
How are auxins used commercially? [3]
Rooting powder
Growth of seedless fruit
Herbicides
How are cytokinins used commercially? [2]
Prevents yellowing of lettuces leaves
Promotes shoot growth
How are gibberellins used commercially?
Delate senescence in citrus
Elongation of stalks
Speeding up seed formation
How is ethene used commercially?
Speeds up ripening
Promotes lateral growth
Promotes fruit drop
Outline the gross structure of the mammalian nervous system using a flow diagram
Name the two main divisions of the nervous system
Central nervous system and nervous system
Name the two main divisions of the peripheral nervous system
Somatic
Autonomic
Name the two main divisions of the autonomic nervous system
Sympathetic and Parasympathetic
Describe the gross structure of the human brain, including the lobes and their function [4]
2 Hemispheres joined by band of nerve fibres divided into lobes
Parietal lobe-top of the brain-movement,orientation,memory and recognition
Occipital lobe-back of the brain-visual cortex processes signals from the eye
Temporal lobe-beneath the temples-processes auditory signals
What is the function of the cerebllum?
Controls execution of movement, and potential role in cognition
Identify the function of the medulla oblongata
Controls a rage of autonomous functions, including breathing rate and heart rate
Identify the function of the cerebrum
Controls voluntary functions
Identify the functions of the hypothalamus
Includes anterior pituitary gland and is involved in thermo and osmoregulation
Outline what happens in a simple reflex arc
Receptor detects stimulus → sensory neuron → relay neuron in CNS coordinates response → response by effector
What is the survival benefit of a reflex arc?
Rapid response to potentially dangerous stimuli since only 3 neurons are involved
Describe the knee jerk reflex
Tapping patellar tendon stimulates stretch mediated receptors
Impulse travels sensory → motor neuron
Quadriceps contract,inhibiting antagonistic hamstring contraction
Describe the blinking reflex and the reflex arc
Consensual response since both eyelids close when just 1 cornea is stimulated
Sensor neuron of trigeminal nerve → spinal nucleus of trigeminal nerve → interneurons→ facial motor nerve → effector muscled orbicularis oculi
What is the fight or flight response?
A stress response to a perceived threat triggering a series of physiological response to prepare the body
Use the secondary messenger model to explain how adrenaline works [5]
Adrenaline is the 1st messenger, forming a hormone-receptor complex
Conformational change to receptor activates G-protein
Activates adenylatye cyclase, which converts ATP → cAMP
cAMP works as 2nd messenger activating the protein kinase A pathway
Results in glycogenolysis
What are the three types of muscle tissue>
Skeletal, smooth and cardiac
Describe skeletal muscle and its function
Striated
Consists of multinucleated cells
Antagonistic muscle pairs enable movements