BIO 121 – Life Processes in Plants (Vocabulary Flashcards)

Vocabulary flashcards covering core terms from lecture notes on plant life processes, nutrition, photosynthesis, transport, respiration, reproduction, vegetative propagation, and ecological adaptations.

Life Processes

Basic functions necessary for maintaining life: nutrition, respiration, transportation, excretion, and reproduction.

Nutrition (general)

Process of taking in food and using it for growth, repair, and energy.

Respiration (general)

Cellular process of releasing energy by “burning” food with oxygen.

Transportation (plants)

Movement of water, minerals, food, and gases within a plant.

Excretion (general)

Removal of metabolic waste products from an organism.

Reproduction (plants)

Process by which plants produce new offspring, either sexually or asexually.

Autotrophic Nutrition

Mode of nutrition in which organisms make their own food from CO₂ and H₂O using sunlight and chlorophyll (e.g., green plants).

Heterotrophic Nutrition

Mode of nutrition in which organisms obtain food directly or indirectly from plants (e.g., animals, fungi).

Saprophytic Nutrition

Heterotrophic mode where organisms feed on dead and decaying matter (e.g., mushroom).

Parasitic Nutrition

Heterotrophic mode where organisms obtain food from living hosts without killing them (e.g., Cuscuta).

Holozoic Nutrition

Heterotrophic mode involving ingestion, digestion, and absorption of solid food (e.g., humans).

Photosynthesis

Process by which plants synthesize carbohydrates from CO₂ and H₂O in sunlight using chlorophyll, releasing O₂.

Equation of Photosynthesis

6 CO₂ + 12 H₂O → C₆H₁₂O₆ + 6 H₂O + 6 O₂ (in presence of light and chlorophyll).

Chlorophyll

Green pigment in chloroplasts that absorbs light energy for photosynthesis.

Chloroplast

Disc-shaped organelle in mesophyll cells where photosynthesis occurs.

Stomata

Tiny leaf pores regulated by guard cells for gas exchange and transpiration.

Guard Cells

Pair of cells controlling opening and closing of a stomatal pore.

Transpiration

Loss of water vapor from plant surfaces, mainly through stomata.

Xylem

Vascular tissue that transports water and minerals from roots to aerial parts.

Phloem

Vascular tissue that translocates food (sugars) from leaves to other plant parts.

Translocation

Phloem-mediated movement of food from source (leaves) to sink (other tissues).

Diffusion (roots)

Passive movement of water and minerals into root hairs from soil.

ATP (Adenosine Triphosphate)

Energy-rich molecule produced during respiration and used for cellular work.

ADP (Adenosine Diphosphate)

Molecule formed when ATP releases energy and a phosphate group.

Aerobic Respiration

Energy-releasing process occurring in presence of O₂; produces CO₂, H₂O, and large amounts of ATP.

Anaerobic Respiration

Energy-releasing process in absence of O₂; produces less energy and end-products like lactic acid or ethanol.

Pyruvate

3-carbon compound formed from glucose during glycolysis before further breakdown.

Fermentation

Anaerobic conversion of pyruvate to ethanol, CO₂, and energy in yeast.

Sexual Reproduction (plants)

Reproduction involving fusion of male and female gametes to form seeds.

Asexual Reproduction (plants)

Reproduction from a single parent producing genetically identical offspring (clones).

Stamen

Male reproductive organ of a flower, consisting of filament and anther.

Anther

Part of stamen that produces pollen grains containing male gametes.

Pistil/Carpel

Female reproductive organ of a flower consisting of stigma, style, and ovary.

Stigma

Receptive tip of the pistil where pollen lands during pollination.

Ovary (plant)

Base of the pistil containing ovules (eggs).

Ovule

Structure within ovary that develops into a seed after fertilization.

Pollen

Powdery grains carrying male gametes of flowering plants.

Gamete (plant)

Sex cell; sperm contained in pollen and egg inside ovule.

Pollination

Transfer of pollen from anther to stigma.

Self-Pollination

Pollination where a plant’s own pollen fertilizes its ovules.

Cross-Pollination

Pollination involving transfer of pollen between different plants, promoting genetic diversity.

Pollinator

Animal (e.g., bee, bird, bat) that transfers pollen between flowers.

Fertilization (plants)

Fusion of male and female gametes forming a zygote that becomes a seed.

Fruit

Mature ovary that encloses seeds, aiding in their dispersal.

Vegetative Propagation

Asexual reproduction in which new plants grow from vegetative parts of the parent.

True Bulb

Short underground stem with fleshy leaf bases (e.g., onion).

Corm

Solid, swollen underground stem used up and replaced each season (e.g., crocus).

Tuber

Swollen underground stem with “eyes” that produce new shoots (e.g., potato).

Rhizome

Horizontal underground stem producing roots and shoots (e.g., ginger).

Stolon

Horizontal above-ground runner that forms new plants at nodes (e.g., strawberry).

Hydrophyte

Plant adapted to live in water or very wet habitats.

Mesophyte

Plant adapted to moderate, neither very wet nor very dry, conditions.

Xerophyte

Plant adapted to dry, arid environments such as deserts.

Epiphyte

Plant that grows on another plant for physical support without parasitizing it (e.g., orchid).

Halophyte

Plant adapted to grow in saline soils or coastal marshes (mangroves).

Free-Floating Hydrophyte

Aquatic plant that floats freely on water’s surface (e.g., Eichhornia).

Rooted Floating Hydrophyte

Plant rooted in soil with leaves/flowers floating (e.g., Nelumbo).

Rooted Submerged Hydrophyte

Aquatic plant completely underwater but rooted in soil (e.g., Hydrilla).

Submerged Floating Hydrophyte

Plant fully underwater without soil contact (e.g., Utricularia).

Amphibious Hydrophyte

Plant able to live in both water and on land (e.g., Typha).

Succulent (xerophyte)

Drought-tolerant plant storing water in tissues (e.g., Aloe).

Non-Succulent Xerophyte

Drought-resistant plant with structural adaptations but little water storage (e.g., Acacia).

Ephemeral (xerophyte)

Desert plant that completes life cycle rapidly after rain (e.g., Argemone).

Phylloclade

Flattened photosynthetic stem segment replacing leaves in some xerophytes.

Cladode

Green photosynthetic branch of limited growth acting as leaf.

Phyllode

Flattened leaf petiole functioning as the leaf blade.

Velamen

Spongy tissue on aerial roots of epiphytes that absorbs moisture from air.

Pneumatophore

Aerial, negatively geotropic root (respiratory root) of halophytes for gas exchange.

Vivipary (halophytes)

Seed germination while still attached to the parent plant, common in mangroves.