Plant Growth and Germination - Video Notes

Vocabulary flashcards covering key plant growth concepts from the video notes.

Annual

A plant that completes its life cycle in one growing season from germination to seed production, usually dying after seed set.

Perennial

A plant that lives for more than two years and often flowers across multiple seasons.

Biennial

A plant that completes its life cycle in two years, typically with vegetative growth in year one and flowering in year two.

Monocarpic (Monocarp)

A plant that flowers once and then dies after seed production.

Seed coat

The protective outer covering of a seed that protects the embryo and regulates water uptake and germination.

Energy source for germination

Stored reserves (starch, oils, proteins) in the seed's endosperm or cotyledons that fuel the seedling until photosynthesis starts.

Seedling established

The stage when a young plant becomes independent of seed reserves and can sustain growth through photosynthesis (often marked by true leaves).

First process in germination

Imbibition—the uptake of water by the seed that rehydrates tissues and activates metabolic processes.

Juvenile to mature transition

The shift from juvenile growth to reproductive maturity, typically indicated by the onset of flowering.

Environmental factors triggering flowering

Factors such as photoperiod (day length) and temperature cues (vernalization in some species) that can induce flowering.

Photoperiod and flowering

The effect of day length on flowering: long-day plants flower when nights are short, short-day plants flower when nights are long, with phytochrome signaling regulating the transition.