Plant Biology: Resource Acquisition, Transport, Nutrition, and Adaptations

Which feature of plant shoot architecture would MOST directly increase light capture in a crowded environment?

Increased stem height

What does adaptive foraging in roots refer to?

Roots growing more in nutrient-rich areas and increasing transport proteins

Which nutrient is most directly involved in ATP and phospholipid production?

Phosphorus

The apoplastic route involves movement through what?

Cell walls and extracellular spaces

Which pathway crosses a membrane once before moving cell-to-cell?

Symplastic

What is the primary function of the Casparian strip?

Force substances into symplast for selective entry

How does water move across plant membranes?

Osmosis

What happens to a plant cell in a hypertonic solution?

Undergo plasmolysis

What do proton pumps create?

H⁺ electrochemical gradient

Which factor lowers water potential?

Increased solute

What is the main driving force of xylem transport?

Transpiration

What does cohesion refer to in the context of water?

Water sticking to water

Why is there no ATP used in xylem?

Passive physical forces

What type of transport is phloem transport?

Pressure-driven bulk flow

At a source in phloem transport, what happens to sugars?

Sugars loaded

Why can phloem move in multiple directions?

Sources and sinks vary

Which is a macronutrient?

Nitrogen

Where does immobile nutrient deficiency show?

Young leaves

What is nitrogen essential for?

Amino acids & chlorophyll

What does topsoil contain?

Nutrients, organic matter, organisms

What does cation exchange allow plants to do?

Replace H⁺ with nutrient cations

What do root hairs increase?

Surface area for absorption

What do Rhizobium bacteria do?

Fix nitrogen

What do mycorrhizae help absorb?

Phosphorus & water

Where do epiphytes get nutrients from?

Air, rain, debris

What do parasitic plants use to obtain nutrients?

Haustoria

Why do carnivorous plants capture insects?

For nitrogen