True or False? Plants need a variety of nutrients in order to survive, grow and reproduce.
True
Essential Elements
are nutrients that are needed in relatively large quantities
Plants need a lot of…
Carbon
Oxygen
Hydrogen
Macronutrients
other nutrients that are needed in relatively large quantities (approx. 1g/1kg)
Six Macronutrients
Nitrogen
Phosphorous
Potassium
Sulfur
Calcium
Magnesium
Eight Micronutrients
Iron
Chlorine
Manganese
Zinc
Copper
Nickle
Boron
Molybdenum
True or False? Nutritional needs of plants were determined by studying plants in hydroponic culture.
True
True or False? Most nutrients are obtained from the soil.
True
Soil
a mixture of several components, both living and non-living
Living Components of Soil
plant roots
fungi
bacteria
protists
animals
worms
insects
crustaceans
mammals
Non living components of soil
air
water
decomposing organic matter
dissolved minerals
clay particles
silt and sand grains
rocks
A Horizon / Topsoil
contains the living and dead organic matter, along with mineral nutrients. A think one of these is a characteristic of fertile grasslands
B horizon / Subsoil
“mixing zone”
contains organic material from the topsol and fragments of rocks and minerals from bedrock below
C horizon / Parent Rock
the source of the inorganic mineral nutrients needed by plants
Cation Exchange
makes many nutrients available in plants
Chemical weathering of parent rock causes clay particles to become negatively charged
causes positively charged ions to be attracted to the clay
Clay
is important to retain mineral nutrients in soils
Plant roots
pump protons into the soil and the protons change places with the mineral ions and enter the root hairs
Symplastic Pathway
allows nutrients to travel from cell to cell via the plasmodesmata
Apoplastic Pathways
allows nutrients to travel to the vascular tissue via cell walls
Casparian Strip
layer of suberin in endodermis that is impermeable to water
prevents water and mineral from crossing endodermis between cell walls
must cross plasma membrane via cytoplasm - cells cen monitor minerals entering vascular tissue
Water cant flow backwards out of the root vascular tissue
The uptake of Nutrients via Roots
some nutrients are obtained via symbiosis
symbiotic mycorrhizae (fungus roots) fungi provide a number of mineral nutrients to plants the fungi extend special hyphae into the roots of the plants that allow the fungi to direct nutrients into the root
Plants can attract symbiotic nitrogen
fixing bacteria to aggregate around a root hair. The root hair will then extend and curl around the bacterial, forming a nodule
this nodule creates an anoxic environment for nitrogen fixation
Xylem Sap Movement
plants need lots of water to prevent desicatio
Mature Maple Tree
200L water per hour in summer
Actively transpiring leaf
replaces all water every hour
Xylem Sap
can ascend 100m in height against gravity
Two mechanisms to move xylem sap
root pressure
Transpiration cohesion
Root Pressure
push from below
Transpiration Cohesion
pulls from above
Water Evaporates from Leaves
generates negative pressure (suction)
Transpiration
suction due to evaporation provides most of the force to move water up through the stem
Adhesion
sticks to other things
Cohesion
sticking to itself
Movement into roots and up stems is driven by
water potential
Asexual reproduction
produces genetically identical clones
regenerative propagation is a common form
Stolons
(runners) are horizontal stems that form adventitious roots at certain intervals, which can then give rise to independent plants
Tuber
is an underground stem that can generate new plants at each eye
Stolons, Bulbs and Plantlets..
all methods of asexual reproduction that will produce genetically identical offspring
Apromixis
(‘above mixing’)
when diploid cells in the carpel divide to form embryos without meiosis or fertilization
dandelions, blackberries, and some citrus
Parthenocarpy
is the generation of fruit without fertilization
creates seedless fruits
bananas and watermelons
Sexual reproduction
increases genetic diversity
Plant Hormones
produced in one part of the plant, transported to other parts where it trigger responses in target cells and tissues
very small concentrations needed for this effect
Auxin
plant hormone
any chemical which promotes cell elongation in shoots, produced in apical meristem
Phototropism mechanism
used in herbicides
Phototropism mechanisms
how auxin was discovered
response to light; stems bend toward light source
membrane protein asymmetry - carrier proteins for auxin are located only in the basal end of the cell
Gibberellic Acid (GA) or Gibberellins
Produced in leaves and stems; stimulate cell elongation and division
can cause ‘bolting’ in plants in normally compact plants
sprayed to get larger fruits
required for seed germination
high concentration in seeds
Ethylene
Gaseous hormone
numerous effects on plants
Interacts with auxin
fruit ripening
inhibits stem elongation, promotes lateral swelling of stems
Fruit ripening
caused by ethylene
stimulates loss of chlorophyll in fruit, softening of cell walls
produced and released rapidly
Apical hook
of eudicot seedlings is maintains by asymmetrical production of ethylene, which inhibits elongation of cells on the inner surface
Abscisic Acid (ABA)
produced in bud - induced dormancy
involved in seed dormancy
helps plants cope with stress
Why do leaves fall?
interaction between auxin and ethylene
During dry conditions, ABA
collects in leaves - induces stomatal closure - regulates guard cells
Nitrogen
macronutrient
used in nucleic acids and amino acids
Phosphorous
macronutrient
used in nucleic acids, membrane lipids, and ATP
Potassium
macronutrient
numerous uses in cell
Sulfer
macronutrient
used in amino acids, in coenzymes and defense
Calcium
macronutrient
used in plant cell walls and cell signaling
Magnesium
macronutrient
essential component of chlorophyll and enzymes
Growth and Differentiation
the two development processes from a single-celled zygote to a mature plant
Growth
is an increase in the size of individual cells that contributes to an increase in size of the entire plant
adding more cells via cell division can also increase the size of a plant
Differentiation
the process through which different cell types arise from pre-existing, primordial cells (stem cells)
as this continues cells become more “fixed” in terms of their identity and function; can only give rise to certain types of cells
caused by gene expression
Totipotent
early embryonic cells
can give rise to any type of cell
‘Master’ Transcription Factors
stimulated by a variety of exogenous and endogenous signals
then promote this in different cells
if different embryonic cells express different proteins, they will develop into different types of cells
PLETHORA (PLT)
important in the normal development of roots
causes normal roots to grow
when interfered with produced unusually small roots
these expressed in apical meristems will trigger the development of roots at the top of the shoot
transcription factor
Turgor Pressure
Plant cells grow as ______________ ( from the water in the vacuole and the cytosol) pushes outward of the cell wall
this causes the cell wall to relax and expand and add cellulose microfibrils to reinforce the cell wall
without more cellulose the cell wall would lose its shape
Meristems
Plants can grow by adding more cells at the _______
cell division in the _______ is controlled by a small protein, CLAVATA3, amd a transcription factor, WUSCHEL
CLAVATA3
small protein
when there are enough cells in the meristem ______, migrates to the target cells and suppresses the production of WUSCHEL
if defective the meristem will produce fascinated flowers with a folded head and excess petals
WUSCHEL
Is produced in cells below the meristems
if defective the meristem will produce fascinated flowers with a folded head and excess petals
How do cells ‘decide’ what they will become in the adult plant?
the egg cell, before fertilization, is polar
distinct top and bottom ends, defined by attachment to parent plant
after first division, top of the cell becomes smaller apical daughter cell, where auxins accumulate and stimulate the development of cotyledons
the bottom of the cell becomes the longer basal daughter, which supports embryo and keeps it attached to parent
Apical Daughter Cell
after the first division, the top of the cell becomes the smaller _______ , where auxins accumulate and stimulate the development of the cotyledons
Basal daughter cell
the bottom of the cell becomes the longer ______ , which supports the embryo and keeps it attached to the parent
Asymmetrical cell division
can lead to the unequal division of various proteins, nucleic acids and transcription factors
Tropisms
growth responses resulting in curvature or growth towards or away from a stimulus
causes by differential elongation of cells on each side of the stem, leaf, root, etc.
Phototropism
cells on darker side of shoot elongate more than cells of lighter side
illuminating one side causes auxin to migrate across the tip of the un-illuminated aside
sensing light - specific to light spectrum
plants ‘see’ light by exposure to blue light which stimulates phototropin
Phototropin
a receptor protein in the cell membrane
Experiment by Darwin Conclusions
The chemical is produced in the coleoptile tip
the chemical stimulates growth in coleoptile cells
the coleoptile curves to the light because of higher concentrations (and more growth) on the shaded side
Roots display ______ gravitropism
Positive
(grow down)
Shoots display _____ gravitropism
Negative
(grow up)
Thigmotropism, Thigmomorphogenesis, Turgor Movements
respond to mechanical stimuli
Thigmotropism
trophic response to touch
vines - wind around objects
touch causes cells on opposite side of stem to elongate and shoot bends towards support object
Thigmorphogensis
change in form which results from mechanical vibrations or wind
shaking and vibration causes sharter, sturdier plants
increase in hormone ethylene inhibits cell elongation - results in a shorter, sturdier stem
Turgor movements
sensitive plant respond to touch by folding / dropping leaf
Changes in turgot pressure in specialized cells allows plants to orient (or move) their leaves
loss of turgor pressure in the leaf pulvini results in wilting
Venus fly-traps
use action potentials to stimulate rapid tugor - induced movement
mechanical stimulation on receptor hairs
electrical signal propagated - action potential due to ion movement
effector cells on outside of trap swell (increased turgor pressure) forcing trap shut
Phytochrome
discovered in 1959
photoactive compound in plants which sense light and dark
responses of plants to red (660nm) and ‘far-red’ light (730nm)
Pr
inactive form
far - red light induced
Pfr
active form
red light induced
tells seed to germinate
Photoperiodism (How do plants know it is spring?)
day length - regulates sprouting and flowering
temperature
interaction of temperature and change in day length - accounts for variability between years
responses vary between plants
Physiological responses to day length
seed germination, flowering, leaf abscission
Short - Day plants
require long night period (chrysanthemums, poinsettias); flower in fall, winter
Long day plants
require short dark period (spinach, radish, iris, grasses); late spring or summer flowering
Day neutral plants
unaffected by day length, depends on plant maturity (tomatoes, peas, rice, dandelions)
Can plants tell time?
Circadian ‘endogenous’ rhythm
plant can ‘ tell the time’ independent of light -internal ‘clock’ proteins
Phloem
Which tissue transports photosynthetic products, like sugats, to the places where they are needed?
Auxins
Name a hormone that encourages cell elongation in plants
b) clay
The component of soil that is most important for holding positively charged nutrients is:
a) Humus
b) clay
c) Parent rock
d) water
e) air
a) vegetative propagation
A form of asexual reproduction that involves a genetically identical identical clone growing from a fragment (e.g. a stem, a leaf, a root) of a parent plant is:
a) vegetative propagation
b) apomixis
c) parthenocarpy
d) self fertilization
e) cross pollination
d) ethylene
Which hormone is responsible for causing fruit to ripen?
a) abscisic acid
b) indoleacetic acid
c) gibberellins
d) ethylene
e) auxin
d) all of these
Which of the following are ways that plants can avoid self-fertilization?
a) genetic incompatibility
b) having distinct male and female flowers
c) having distinct male and female plants
d) all of these
e) b and c only
False
True or False? Self fertilization is a form of asexual reproduction.
True
True or False? The A horizon of soils contains decaying organic matter.
True
True or False? Macronutrient are nutrients that are needed in concentrations equivalent to 1 gram of nutrient to 1 kg of plants mass.