Plant Biology: Photosynthesis, Leaf Structure, Fertilisers, and Plant Transport

A set of vocabulary flashcards reviewing photosynthesis, leaf anatomy, the starch test procedure, fertilisers, root hair cell adaptations, xylem transport, and transpiration.

Photosynthesis

The process by which plants make carbohydrates (food) using energy from light, utilizing carbon dioxide ($CO_2$) and water.

Chlorophyll

The green pigment in plant cells that traps energy from light.

Word Equation for Photosynthesis

$\text{Carbon dioxide} + \text{water} \rightarrow \text{Glucose} + \text{Oxygen}$ in the presence of light and chlorophyll.

Biomass

The material that living things are made of; most biomass comes from plants through photosynthesis, which animals obtain by consuming plants.

Leaf Adaptations for Photosynthesis

Features including chlorophyll to trap light energy, a broad and flat shape to receive enough sunlight, and stomata to allow the entry of carbon dioxide.

Stomata (Stoma)

Pores on the leaf surface that allow the entry of carbon dioxide and facilitate gas exchange.

Guard Cells

Specialised cells that surround the stomata and control their opening and closing.

Boiling Water Step (Starch Test)

Dropping the leaf into boiling water for $30\text{ seconds}$ to kill the leaf.

Ethanol Step (Starch Test)

Boiling the leaf in ethanol (alcohol) within a test tube to remove its color.

Iodine Solution Result for Starch

A color change of the leaf to blue-black, confirming the presence of starch and demonstrating that the leaf has been photosynthesising.

Fertilisers

Substances that replace minerals and mineral ions, such as nitrates, in the soil.

Organic Fertilisers

Fertilisers made from plant and animal matter, such as manure from cow dung and poultry droppings.

Inorganic Fertilisers

Fertilisers made or synthesised using chemicals.

Ammonia

A nitrate-rich inorganic fertiliser with the chemical symbol $NH_3$, synthesised from nitrogen and hydrogen ($\text{Nitrogen} + \text{Hydrogen} \rightarrow \text{Ammonia}$).

Root Hair Cells

Specialised plant cells featuring long microscopic hairs, large vacuoles, and mitochondria, adapted for the absorption of water and minerals from the soil.

Xylem

A specialised plant transport tissue running from roots to leaves through the stems that carries water and dissolved minerals upward to cells where needed.

Transpiration

The process occurring when stomata are open in which water evaporates from leaf cells and diffuses out through the stomata.

Water Absorption Pathway

The pathway in which water diffuses into root hair cells, travels upward through xylem tubes, and evaporates from the leaves.

High Temperature (Transpiration)

An environmental factor that directly affects the rate of transpiration in plants.

Photosynthesis

The process by which plants make carbohydrates (food) using energy from light, combining carbon dioxide ($CO_2$) and water.

Chlorophyll

The green pigment in plant cells that traps energy from light for photosynthesis.

Biomass

The material that living things are made of; most of it originates in plants through photosynthesis and is passed to animals.

Stomata

Pores located on the leaf that allow the entry of carbon dioxide and facilitate gas exchange.

Guard cells

Specialised cells surrounding each stoma that control its opening and closing.

Palisade mesophyll cells

A layer of densely packed cells situated below the upper epidermis that contain chloroplasts for photosynthesis.

Spongy mesophyll

The loosely arranged layer of cells located between the palisade mesophyll and the lower epidermis.

Boiling water (Starch test)

The step in testing a leaf for starch where the leaf is placed in boiling water for $30\text{ seconds}$ to kill it.

Ethanol boiling step

The stage in a starch test where the leaf is boiled in ethanol (alcohol) inside a test tube to remove its green colour.

Iodine solution test

A diagnostic test where iodine is dropped onto a leaf; turning blue-black indicates the presence of starch and confirms photosynthesis occurred.

Fertilisers

Substances added to replace mineral ions and minerals, such as nitrates, in the soil.

Organic fertilisers

Naturally derived fertilisers made from plants and animals, such as manure from cow dung and poultry droppings.

Inorganic fertiliser

A type of fertiliser made or synthesised using chemicals, such as nitrate-rich ammonia.

Ammonia ($NH_3$)

An inorganic, nitrate-rich fertiliser synthesised by reacting nitrogen with hydrogen ($\text{Nitrogen} + \text{Hydrogen} \rightarrow \text{Ammonia}$).

Root hair cell

A specialised plant cell featuring a long microscopic hair and a large vacuole, adapted for the absorption of water and minerals from the soil.

Xylem

A specialised plant transport tissue running up through stems from roots to leaves that transports water and dissolved minerals upward.

Transpiration

The process occurring when stomata are open, in which water evaporates from leaf cells and diffuses out through the stomata.

Water absorption pathway

The continuous upward pathway where water diffuses into root hair cells, travels through xylem tubes, and evaporates from the leaves.