Plant Physiology Flashcards

Vocabulary flashcards for reviewing plant physiology lecture notes.

Root System

Includes all of the plant's roots and relies on sugar produced by photosynthesis in the shoot system.

Shoot System

Includes the stems, leaves, and flowers (in angiosperms) and relies on water and minerals absorbed by the root system.

Mycorrhizal Symbiosis

A fungal symbiosis that increases mineral absorption in most plants.

Leaves

The main photosynthetic organ of most vascular plants, also responsible for gas exchange, heat dissipation, and defense.

Veins

The vascular tissue of leaves; parallel in monocots and branching in eudicots.

Xylem

Vascular tissue that conducts water and dissolved minerals upward from roots into shoots.

Phloem

Vascular tissue that transports organic nutrients from site of synthesis to where they are needed.

Dermal Tissue System

The outer protective covering of a plant. In nonwoody plants, consists of the epidermis and a waxy cuticle to prevent water loss.

Ground Tissue System

Includes cells specialized for photosynthesis, short-distance transport, storage, or support.

Apical Meristems

Located at the tips of roots and shoots and at the axillary buds. Responsible for primary growth (elongation).

Vascular Cambium

A lateral meristem that adds layers of vascular tissue (xylem and phloem) during secondary growth (thickness).

Stomata

Pores in the epidermis of leaves, flanked by guard cells, which regulate its opening and closing.

Mesophyll

The ground tissue in a leaf, sandwiched between the upper and lower epidermis.

Endodermis

In roots, it regulates the passage of substances from the soil into the vascular tissue.

Early Wood

Formed in the spring; has thin cell walls to maximize water delivery.

Late Wood

Formed in late summer; has thick-walled cells and contributes more to stem support.

Fertilization

Replaces mineral nutrients that have been lost from the soil.

Cation Exchange

Cations are displaced from soil particles by other cations and enter the soil solution, where they can be taken up by roots.

Water Potential

A measurement that combines the effects of solute concentration and pressure and determines the direction of movement of water.

Solute Potential

The effect of solute concentration on water potential; also called osmotic potential.

Pressure Potential

The physical pressure on a solution.

Turgor Pressure

The pressure exerted by the plasma membrane against the cell wall, and the cell wall against the protoplast.

Plasmolysis

Occurs when the protoplast shrinks and pulls away from the cell wall in a hypertonic environment.

Turgid

Firm; describes a cell that is swollen with water due to being in a hypotonic environment.

Bulk Flow

The movement of a fluid due to a difference in pressure between two locations.

Transpiration

The evaporation of water from a plant's leaves, driving the transport of water and minerals from roots to shoots.

Abscisic Acid (ABA)

A hormone produced in response to water deficiency that causes stomata closure.