unit 3 botany

  1. List the five commonly recognized groups of plant hormones and describe their role in plants.

    1. auxin - apical dominanc, soften cell wall phototropism, high concentrations stem growth, low concentrations root growth, extremely high amounts stop growth, helpsplants move towards sun, in all apical areas, blocks fruit drops, seedless fruits

    2. cytokinins - tissue growth division, used in tobacco, slows death of leaves and fruits, with auxin is can be like stems cells for cell differentiation

    3. ethylene - in air, fruit ripenining, one apple can spoil a batch because they give off etheleyne to other fruits, causes abscision, hydrocarbon, dormnacy in seed release, sex expression

    4. abscisic acid - go dormant, stress hormone, extensiblity inhibits growth, inhibits seed germination - stimulates seed storage proteins, conserves water when stressed (close stomata) ABA → increase stomata close

    5. gibberellines - growth promoting, found in young leaves, roots, seeds, and embyros, disease “foolish seedling disease” fungi makes plant grow, so that fungi survives not plant, growing in space without dirt, stem elongation, dwarf wheat → no givverellins short plant, stimulates mating → flowering, partheocarpic fruits → seedless

    6. barssinosteroids - protects plants freezing/drought

    7. salicyclic acid - activates disease, heat

  2. Define tropism, and give examples of three common tropisms in plants.

    1. how the plant detects mositure, gravity, sunlight, growth toward or away from stimuli, positive stimuli towards, negative stimuli away

    2. auxin is a positive tropism

    3. phototropism = controlled by auxin

    4. photoreceptor = pigment conataining protein

    5. gravitropism = shoots grow against roots toward

    6. hydrotropism = directed root growth, sensesed in columnella

    7. thigotropism = avoids solid objects, tendrils cells shorten and length to climb

    8. heliotropism = oritentation of flowers toward light “solar tracking” sunflowers

  3. Explain the role of tropisms in seed development and flowering in a plant.

    1. guiding the direction of plant growth, ensuring that seedlings emerge from the soil towards light and that flowers are positioned optimally to receive sunlight for pollination, which is achieved through responses to environmental stimuli like light and gravity, primarily through phototropism and gravitropism; this allows plants to maximize their access to necessary resources for successful reproduction.Describe the macronutrients and micronutrients that plants require.

  4. Describe some adaptations of roots for obtaining minerals from the soil.

    1. Root hairs: These tiny, hair-like projections significantly increase the root's surface area, allowing for greater contact with the soil particles and maximizing water and mineral absorption.

    2. Branching root systems: Extensive branching of lateral roots helps explore a larger volume of soil, reaching nutrients that might be sparsely distributed.

    3. Taproots vs. fibrous roots: Some plants have a single, deep taproot to access water and nutrients in deeper soil layers, while others develop a dense network of fibrous roots closer to the soil surface.

    4. Mycorrhizal associations: Symbiotic relationships with fungi (mycorrhizae) where the fungi extend their hyphae into the soil, reaching nutrients that the plant roots alone cannot access, while the plant provides carbohydrates to the fungusDefine transpiration, and explain the role of stomata in regulating this process.

  5. Explain and recognize the function of secondary metabolites

    1. defense against predators, attracting pollinators, or communication with other organisms, often acting as chemical deterrents or attractants depending on the context; they are essentially "extra" compounds that provide a competitive advantage to the producing organism, unlike primary metabolites which are necessary for basic life functions like respiration and photosynthesis.

    2. alkaloids, terpenoids, phenolics

VOCAB

chapter 27

  • phytochemicals - bioactive compounds found in plants that may help prevent chronic diseases and protect against environemntal toxins, reduce inflammation

    • terpenoids, polyphenols, phenolic constituents, alkaloids, carotenoids, phytosterols, saponins, and fibers.

  • auxin - plant developments, controls cell growth, phototropism, root and shoot growth

  • cytokinin - issue growth division, used in tobacco, slows death of leaves and fruits, with auxin is can be like stems cells for cell differentiation

  • abscisic acid - go dormant, stress hormone, extensiblity inhibits growth, inhibits seed germination - stimulates seed storage proteins, conserves water when stressed (close stomata) ABA → increase stomata close

  • gibberellins - growth promoting, found in young leaves, roots, seeds, and embyros, disease “foolish seedling disease” fungi makes plant grow, so that fungi survives not plant, growing in space without dirt, stem elongation, dwarf wheat → no givverellins short plant, stimulates mating → flowering, partheocarpic fruits → seedless

  • ethylene - in air, fruit ripenining, one apple can spoil a batch because they give off etheleyne to other fruits, causes abscision, hydrocarbon, dormnacy in seed release, sex expression

  • photoperiod - certain seasons, leaes keep track of darkness, long day plants, short day plants

  • phytochrome - red light triggers, turn on and off growth, healing growth, shady growth

    • works by absorbing red pr and converts to pfr vise versa

  • circadian rhythm - universal among eukaryotes, how long days are → regular ryhthms of activity growth, endogenous - no stimuli from environment

  • tropism - how the plant is able to move or gain stimuli

  • gravitropism - shoots grow against stimuli, roots grow towards stimuli

  • statoliths - starch plastids gravity sensing cells, rolls around to tell whats up, amyoplasts settle to bottom of cell signalling gravity

  • hydrotropism - directed root growth to water, sensed in columnella

  • thigmotropism - avoids solid objects, tendrils cells shorten and lengthing to climb

  • florigen - initiates flowerings in plants

  • vernalization - cold flowering “winter flowers”

  • dormancy - avoid freezing damage

  • stratification - cold

  • scarification - sand paper on seed to grow, water, light exposure

  • seed bank -

  • nastic movement - venus fly trap triggered by hairs, plant moves in response to stimuli, nyctinastic movements → leaves close at night, pulvinis thickening of leave parenchyma cells contract

  • heliotropism - orientation of flowers toward lights “solar tracking”

  • ammonification - plants acquire nitrate from soil through roots and transorm into proteins, ilable for plants to absorb and utilize as a nutrient; essentially, it's the conversion of organic nitrogen back into a usable form for plants through the action of decomposers like bacteria and fungi

  • denitrification - process that occurs when soil bacteria remove oxygen from nitrate, producing nitrogen gas and nitrous oxide that escape into the atmosphere

  • cuticle - outermost layer of plants which covers leaves, fruits, flowers, and non-wood stems of higher plants; regulates the diffusion of water, gases, and solutes

  • evapotranspiration - process by which water moves from the land to the atmosphere through plants and the soil, a term used to describe the water consumed by plants over a period of time

  • cohesion-tension theory - explains how water is transported upwards in plants through the xylem, primarily driven by the negative pressure created by water evaporation from the leaves (transpiration), which pulls a continuous column of water upwards due to the cohesive properties of water molecules and their adhesion to the xylem walls; essentially, the "tension" created by transpiration pulls the water column up like a continuous string, allowing water to reach the top of even tall trees

  • active transport - the process where molecules move across a cell membrane against their concentration gradient, requires energy

  • passive transport - the movement of substances across a plant cell membrane without the need for energy expenditure, typically occurring down a concentration gradient, non energy

  • translocation - the process of moving organic nutrients, primarily sugars produced during photosynthesis in the leaves, to other parts of the plant through specialized tissue called phloem, allowing the plant to distribute food to areas where it is needed for growth and development; essentially, it's the "transport system" within a plant that moves food from "source" (leaves) to "sink" (roots, fruits, etc.). energy, active process.

  • pressure-flow hypothesis - the widely accepted theory explaining how organic molecules like sugars are transported through the phloem of plants, driven by a pressure gradient created by the concentration of solutes at the "source" (like leaves) which draws water in, generating pressure that pushes the sap towards "sink" areas (like roots) where the sugars are unloaded and used; essentially, the movement of sap occurs from high pressure areas to low pressure areas within the plant, passive


  • plant physiology : hormones

    • plant physiology - field of study that investigates the metabolism and growth of plants

    • phytohormones -

    • chemical signals that communicate information

    • active at small doses

    • act in concert

    • “context dependent”: same hormone elicits different response based on when/where

    • gene expression controls hormone levels

    • horomone levels control gene expression

    • hormones are often made in the meristems and trasnported elsewhere or made in every cell and used where made

    • generally - bind to protein receptors to initiate signal (biochemical) transduction changes structure of receptor, releasing regulator molecule + activates the transcriptial cascade = change in gene expression

    • mediated by secondary messengers

      • transfer information

      • amplify the signal, CA 2+ ion channels

    • plant hormones summary

      • plants usually respond to stimuli environmetal stimuli by altering their pattern of growth

      • most of these occur at the cellular level

      • mediated by hormones - small organic molecules produced by the plant that serve as chemical signals between cells and tissues

      • five commonly recognized groups: auxin, gibberellins, cytokinins, abscisic acid, and ethylene

        • auxin, induces apical dominance

        • cytokinin: stimulates shoot growth & production

        • abscisic acid: regulates stomata opening

        • ethylene: stimulates fruit ripenining

        • gibberellin : elongates stem

  • auxins

    • soften the cell wall so plants can grow

    • involved in phototropism

    • stems bend toward light source

    • auxin moves to shady side and causes cells to elongate

    • responsible for apical dominance

    • commericially used to stimulate root formation and promote growth of fruit

    • apical dominance due to auxin

      • auxin produced at apical meristem inhibits growth of lateral buds

      • lateral bud grwoth is inhibited when a plant retains its terminal bud

      • when terminal bud is removed, laterla branches develop and plant is bushier

    • also stimulates root formation

    • first identified

      • frits went, missouri botanical gardens

    • primary growth regualtor

      • high concentraitons promote stem growth

      • low concentrations promotes root growth

      • inhibits root growth at high concentrations

    • promotes growth by increasing extensibility (loosening cell walls causing cells to enlarge)

      • promotes pollen tube growth

      • helps plants move? - in shoot auxin stimulates growth on one side

      • auxin is shuttled to one side of the plant and turns on genes

      • helps vascular tissue differentiate in developing leaves

      • gradient caused by its basipetal polar transport

        • produced in meristem

        • moves from shoot trip down stem

      • established apical dominance: apical buds produce auxin, basipetal flower of auxin inhibits growth of lateral buds

      • promotes lateral and adventitious root formation

      • promotes expanison of vascular cambium after bud break

      • regulates leaf and flower development

      • blocks early fruit drop

      • treat carpel with auxin = parthenocarpic fruits

      • synthetic auxin was used as herbicide

      • regulates other plant hormones

      • infamous side of auxin, active ingredient in agent orange

        • chemicals with auxin activity sprayed together with kerosene on forests in vietnam to cause leaf drop and fire

        • chemical process used to make the auxins also made dioxin, an extremely toxic compound

        • dixosin is linked to miscarriages, birth defects, leukemia, and other types of cancer

  • cytokinins

    • influence plant growth by promoting cell division

    • found in plant meristems, young leaves, root tips, seeds, and fruits

    • also prevents senescence or aging (as cytokinin levels drop, plant organ growth slows or stops)

    • plant organ formation in tissue culture influenced by ratio of auxin to cytokinin

    • found primarily in dividing tissues → seeds, fruits, leaves, and root tips

    • promotes cell division for growth and seed germination

    • slow senescence (death) of leaves and fruit

    • signals chloroplast synthesis

    • GMO tobacco (right) over-produces cytokinin, delays leaf senescence

    • with auxin helps with cell differentiation

  • ethylene

    • gas that can move freely in air

    • causes fruit ripening

    • once the process of abscission has begun, ethylene stimulates enzyme causing the leaf, fruit or flower to drop

    • kerosene stoves used to ripen fruits

      • ethylene given off

    • one rotten apple spoils the whole barrel

      • ethylene given off

    • simple hydrocarbon

    • influences growth & development of most tissues

      • inhibits cell expansions by decreasing extensibility

      • triple response in pea seedlings → seedlings avoid obstacle

    • influences growth and development of most tissues

      • releases dormancy in seed stimulates fruit ripening

    • influences growth and development of most tissues

      • stimulates leaf abscission (auxin prevents it)

    • influences growth and development of most tissues

      • stimulates flower opening

      • contributes to sex expression

  • abscisic acid

    • stress hormone

    • imitates and maintains seed and bud dormancy and brings about closure of stomata

    • inhibits shoot growth by decreasing extensibility but may promote root length

    • inhibits seed germination stimulates seed storage proteins

    • water conservation when water stressed (caused by drought, salt, freezing

    • increase in ABA = stomata closure

    • water conservaton when water stressed

    • increase ABA = stomata closure

      • uptake solutes by guard cells changes osmotic potential of guard cells and opens the stoma

      • ABA signals the release of those solutes and water moves from cytosol to the cell wall

  • gibberellins

    • most common is gibberellic acid GA3

    • found in young leaves, roots, seeds, and embryos and fruits

    • growth promoting hormone brings about elongation of cells

    • most obvious effect is stem elongation betwee nodes

    • dormancy period plant does not grow even though conditions are favorable can be broken by gibberellines

    • involved in seed germination

    • discovered by E. Kurosawa of Japan foolish seedling disease

    • gibberellin produced by fungus

    • present in all parts of the plant & high in conc in immature seeds

    • stimulates stem elongation by increasing cell division and elongation increases extensiblity

    • mutant dwarfing genes interfere with gibberellin synthesis or resonse

    • led to green revolution inthe 1970s

    • gibberellins are named after the fungus gibberella fujikuroi which causes rice plants to grow abnormally tall

    • required for pollen tube growth in some species

    • break seed dormancy

    • stimulate seed germination

    • in some species stimulate aleurnone

      • protein rich cells of endosperm produce enzymes that break down starch

      • releasing sugars, amino acids

    • stimulates bolting (stem elongation) → flowering

    • produces parthenocarpix fruits (like auxin)

  • brassinosteroids

    • growth promoting polyhydroxylated steroid hormones

    • can occur in virtually all parts of a plant and mostly act locally

    • without it leaves have fewer, smaller cells

    • protects plants during drought or chilling/freezing stress

    • essential for maturation of tracheary elements

      • secondary wall formation

      • programmed cell death

  • others

    • salicyclic acid: activates disease resistance and regulates thermogeneis

    • jasmonic acid: activates plant defense against insect herbivores

    • systemin: interfers with protein digestion of attacking insect

    • forligen; stimulates flower in shoot apical meristems

chapter 28

  • external factors and plant growth

  • tropism

    • growth toward or away from a directional stimulus

      • positive toward

      • negative away

    • phototropism - lights

      • controlled by auxin went expirement

      • briggs figures out that auxin moves from light to the dark side

      • protoreceptors - pigment-containing protein absorbs light

      • blue light (400-500) induces lateral movement of auxin to shady side

      • auxin moves basipetally from trip to elongation zone

      • stimulates cell elongation on one side differential growth

    • gravitropism - gravity

      • shoots grow against, roots grow with gravity

      • positive gravitropism

        • grow toward gravity

        • remember auxin inhibits growth in roots

      • negative gravitropism

      • statocytes gravity sensing cells

        • statoliths amyloplasts (starch containing plastids)

        • often found in the starch sheat (inner most layer of cortical cells) surround vascular tissue

        • in roots, they are found in the columella

      • growth in response to earths gravity

      • shoots exhibit negative gravitropism growing against gravity

        • increased auxin concentration on lower side of young stem results in upward growth

      • roots exhibit positive gravitropsim growings with gravity

        • organelle in root cells called amyloplast settle to bottom of endodermal cells and signal downward growth

    • auxin involved in positive phototropism

      • migrates to shady side causing cells to elongate

    • hydrotropism

      • directed root growth in response to moisture gradient

      • again, sensed in the columella

      • not sure how it researchs = ripe for research

    • thimotropism

      • avoidance of solid objects

        • rocks other plants shoots

      • moves in a specific direction

      • tendrils wrap around anything they touch

        • rapid response less than an hour

        • touching cells shorten

    • nastic movements in respones to stimulus

      • non directional response

    • nyctinastic movements

      • night closures leaves close at night

      • common at legumes

      • pulvinus: thickening at base of leaf

      • parenchyma cells expand, contract on opposites sides of pulvins

      • chemical and electrical signals

    • thigmonastic movements example

      • trap is lobed balde with midrip hinge of leaf

      • each lobe has three trigger hairs

      • when touched trigger hairs produce an electrical signal

      • activaites atp hydrolysis and proton transport

      • moves water from upper to lower epidermis closing the trap

      • digestive enzymes released

    • heliotropism: oritentation of leaves and flowers relative to light (parallel or perpendicular)

      • aka solar tracking

      • usually involve pulvini at base of leaves/leaflets or flower stems

    • circadian rhythems

      • universal among eukaryotes

      • regular rhythms of activity/growth

        • occur 24 hours but varies!

      • enogenous - without stimulation from the environment

      • circadian clocks have parts

        • oscillator generates the rhythmic behavior

        • input pathways - synchronize the oscillator to environemtal info

        • output pathways - regulate the phsyiological/biochemcal process

      • environmntal syncrhonization allows changes with the seasons

      • entrainment:resetting of an internal clock to match an external signal light dark cycles temperatures

      • temperation compensations: clock oscillates with temperature→ physiological effects of temp

      • gating: stimuli of same intensity elecit different resoponse depending on when they happen

      • example of circadian clock arabidopsis chlorophyll a/b binding proteins

    • photoperiodism

      • effect of daylength on the timing of a biological event

      • photoperiodic plants only flower under certain light conditions → during certain seasons

      • can have variation within species - photoperiodic ecotypes

      • sometimes depending on temperature

      • plants leaves keep track of the darkness

        • if darkness interrupted flowering suppressed

        • good news for growers! can time flowering!

      • short day plants

        • flower in early spring and fall

        • light must be shorter than a critical length

      • long day plants

        • flower in summer

        • light must be longer than a critical length

      • day neutral plants

        • regulated by phytochrome

          • photoreceptor

          • has 2 states: one inactive, and on active

        • activated by red light

        • deactivated by lack of light or far red light

        • regulates seedling growth form

          • from etiolate (elongated, colorless, or yellow)

          • to normal plant growth

        • induces shade-avoidance syndrome in many plants

          • light depleted in red/blue

          • corresponds to absorption by chlorophyll and carotenoids

          • stimulates upward growth

        • phytochrome

          • plants must have some way to detect night length

          • proportion of red light to far red light dusk determines form of phytocrhome

          • red light converts phytocrhome to the form pfr which indcates sunlight is available and conditions favorable

      • photoperiodism

        • some plants, flowering occurs according to the photoperiod

          • ratio of length of day to length of night over 24 hour period

        • three groups

          • short day plant long night plants flower when the day length is shorter and the night is longer than a definiite length called the critical length

          • long day short night flower when the day length is longer and the night is shorter than a critical length

          • day neutral plans do not depend on day night length for flowering and instead rely on other environemntal stimuli

        • both long day and short day can ahve the same critical length

        • length of continous darkness (not light) controls flower in many plants

    • floral stimulus

      • leaves perceive daylength - need signal to induce flowering

      • florigen : hormone that promotes flowering

        • moves through live tissue only phloem

        • COprotein induces expression of FT gene which produces florigen

    • vernalization

      • cold inducing flowering

      • plant often also requires suitable day length - don’t just flower at any old cold snap

      • can often trick palnts using gibberellin

    • dormancy

      • condition of arrested suspended growth after which growing resumes

      • controlled by inhibitors that must be removed

      • reactivation often requires certain conditions to avoid environemntal miscues

      • stratifcation

        • cold temperatures required for germination

        • most temperate plants

        • abrasion by soil wears away the seed coat

          • inhibitors removed water/oxygen allowed in

      • scarification

        • mechnical abrasion required to break thick seed coat

      • sometimes stay viable for thousands of years but usually don’t last more than few years or decase

      • seed banks: conservation effort

      • help temperature plants avoid freeze damage

      • often iniitated well before winter

      • dormant buds: embryoic shoot with

        • apical meristem

        • nodes

        • internodes

        • rudimentary leaves

      • bud scales : prevent dessication, restrict movement of oxygen into the bud, insulte the bud from heat loss

      • often accumulate growth inhibitors

      • acclimation - induced by decrease in daylength, physical and phsyiological changes to prep for winter

      • dormancy can be broken by

        • cold temperatures

        • photoperiod

        • ethylene

        • gibberellins

chapter 29

  • essential elements

    • 9 macronutrients: required in large amounts C,O,and H they get via photosynthesis

      • N, K, Ca, Mg, Ph, and S

    • 8 micronutrients: required in smaller amounts

      • Cl, Fe, B, Mn, Zn, Cu, Ni, Mo

    • some plants require additional benefical elements

      • Al, Co, Na, Se, Si

  • deficiences in these elements cause symptoms

    • based on what they are used for in the plant

      • stunted growth of stems and leaves

      • necrosis: localized death of tissue

      • chlorosis: yellowing of leaves with loss or reduced chlorophyll production

    • lack of nitrogen- need to produce proteins

      • causes chlorosis (yellowing of leaves)

      • especially older leaves- plants move nutrients where are most needed

    • lack of sulfur needed to produce proteins but less mobile than N

      • chlorosis in upper leaves

    • lack of magnesium - needed to produce chlorphyll

      • chlorosis- between veins on lower leaves

        sometimes necrotic spots

    • lack of phosphorus-needed to produce ATP

      • often accumulate anthocyanins becoming red/purple

    • lack of calcium - needed for cell wall stiffening

      • young leaves blacken and wither esp at tips

    • lack of potassium 0 needed for ion balance and to open'/stomata

      • chlorotic and necrotic tissue, weak stems

    • lack of boron

      • needed for cell wall integrety nucleic acid production

        • roots stop growing shoot dies back

  • how do they get them?

    • plants are sessile

    • have to work with what is around them

    • sometimes they pump them in themselves

      • proteins in cell membrane move nutrients in based on their chemistry

      • nutrient must first be in a biologically available state

    • sometimes the enlist the help of others

    • nitrogen cycle

    • 2 types of nitrogen fixing bacteria

      • free living and symbiotic

    • symbiotic are the most effective

      • rhizobia and bradyrhizobia

    • mycorrhizal associations

    • carnivorous plants use animal proteins

    • parasitic plants steal them from other plants

    • cluster roots (phosphorus uptake)

  • how plants protect themselves

    • main enemy list

      • herbivores eat essential parts of plants

        • insects, mammals, birds

      • pathogens feed off a plant and promote their own growth

        • using toxins, cell wall degrading enzymes

          • bacteria - single celled prokaryotes

          • viruses- non living pathogens, replicate in side plant cells

          • fungi - eukaryotes single or multi celled

          • nematodes - eukaryotes multicelled

          • parastic plants mistletoe

  • two types of defenses

    • chemical and mechanical

    • mechanical

      • spines modified leaves

      • thorns modivied stems

      • prickles outgrowths of the epidermis

    • chemical

      • may kill or harm a threat

      • may just taste bad

      • secondary metabolites: not required for life

      • phytoalexins: antimicrobial compounds

        • produced when attached by fungi/bacteria

        • once induced, they stay around (a kind of plant memory)

        • alkaloids: nitrogenous compounds

          • caffiene: toxic to insects and fungi and allelopathic

          • nicotine: produced in roots and stored in leaf vacuoles, deters large and small herbivores

          • capsaicin - especially good in determining mammals

          • terpenoids - largest class of secondary metabolites

            • various combinations of isoprene units

            • essential oilds - deter herbivores, protect against fungi/bacteria, some allelopathic

            • various combinations of isprene units

            • latex including rubber

            • cardiac glycosides

              • bioaccumlated by some animals for their own protection

          • phenolics : broad groups of chemicals

            • tannins - very common in angiosperms, cause bitter taste

            • ligins - deposited in cell wall in response to fungal attacks

            • salicylic acid - systemic acquired resistence to bacteria, fungi, and viruses

chapter 30

  • active transport

    • requires energy

    • atp directly or indirectly to fuel active transport

    • moves substances from low to high

    • requires highly selective carrier proteins

  • sodium-potassium pump

    • direct use atp for active transport

    • uses a protein to move 3 Na out of the cell and 2 K into the cell

      • against their concentration gradient

    • atp energy is used to change conformation of carrier protein

    • affinitiy of the carrier protein for either na or k changes so ion can be carried across the membrane

  • passive transport

    • movement of molecules through the membrane in which

      • no energy is required

      • molecules move in response to a concentration gradient

        • diffusion

          • movement of molecules from high to low

          • continue until the concentration is same in all regions

          • free

          • rate of diffusion depends on pressure, temperature, and density of medium

        • facilitated diffusion

          • molecules cannot cross membrane easily may move through proteins

          • high to low conc

          • channel proteins

            • hydrophilic channel when open

          • carrier proteins

            • bind specfically to molecules they assist

        • osmosis

          • cytoplasm of the cell is an aqueous solution

            • water solvent

            • dissolved substances are solutes

          • osmosis net diffusion of water across membrane toward high solute concentration

            • free

    • definitions

      • solvent - liquid in which substances dissolve

      • semipermeable membranes - membranes in which different substances diffuse at different rates

        • all plant cell membarnes

      • osmosis - diffusion of water through a semipermeable membrane from a region where water is more concentrated to region where it is less concentrated

      • osmotic pressure - pressure required to prevent osmosis

        • osmotic potential balanced by resistance of cell wall

          • pressure potential pressure that develops as walls as a result of water entering cell - turgor pressure

        • water potential of cell - osmotic pressure + pressure potential

      • turgid cell - firm cell due to water gained by osmosis

  • osmosis

    • osmosis is primary way water enters plants from environment

      • pathway of water through plant:

        • enters from soil into cell walls and intercellular spaces of roots hairs and root hairs and roots

        • crosses differentially permeable membrane and cytoplasm of endodermis then into xylem

        • flower through xylem to leaves and diffuses out through stomata

  • plasmolysis - loss of water through osmosis

    • accompanied by shrinkage of protoplasm away from the cell wall

  • imbibition - large molecules such as cellulose and starch develop when electrical charges when wet, and thus attract water molecules

    • water molecules adhere to large molecules

    • results of swellin gtissues

    • imbibtion first step of germination in seed

  • transpiratio - water vapor loss from internal leaf atmosphere

    • more than 90% of the water entering a plant is transpired

    • water needed for : cell activities, cell turgor, evaporation for cooling - if more water is lost then taken in stomata closes

  • evapotranspiration - water and dissolved minerals travel great distances in xylem

    • some pushing comes from pressure of water entering roots

    • most of the force is pulling created by transpiration

      • evaporatoin from thin films of water in the stomata

      • occurs due to cohesion (water molecules stick to each other) and adhesion (stick to walls)

  • why isn’t xylem huge?

    • adheasion - water molecule stick to other jpolar molecules by hydrogen bodning

    • choesion - water molecules stick to other water molecules by hydrogen bonding

  • cohesion tension theory the pull - transpiration generates tension to pull water columns through plants from roots to leaves

    • water columns created when water molecules adhere to tracheids and vessels of xylem and cohere to each other

    • when watre evaportes from mesophyll cells they develop a lower water potential than adjacent cells

    • water moves into mesophyll cells from adjacent cells with higer water potential

    • process is continued until veins are reached

    • creates tension on water columns, drawing water all the way through entire span of xylem cells

    • water continues to enter root by osmosis

  • regulation of transpiration

    • stomatal apparatus regulates transpiration and gas exchange

      • stomatal apparatus = 2 guard cells + stoma (opening)

      • transpiration rates influenced by humidity, light, temperature, and carbon dixoide concentreation

    • when photosynthesis occurs stomata open

      • guard cells expend energy to acquire potassium ions from adjacent epidermal cells

      • causes lower water potential in guard cells via osmosis

      • guard cells become turgid and stomata opens

    • when photosyntehsis does not occur, stomata close

      • potassium ions leave guard cells

      • water leaves

      • less turgid and stomata close

  • rate of transpiration

    • transpiration rates increase with temperature and wind velocity because water molecules evaporte more quickly

    • several pathways regulate stomatal opening and closing

      • abscics acid (ABA) initiates a singallin gpathway to close stomata in drought

        • opens k cl and malate channels

        • water loss

    • stomata of most plants are opne during day and closed at night

  • water conservation in some plants:

    • stomata open only at night- desert plants

      • conserves water, but makes co 2 inaccessible during day

      • thus undergo CAM photosyntehsis

        • carbon dioxide covernted to oragnic acids and stored in vacuoles at night

        • organic acids converted to carbon dioxide during day

    • stomata recessed below surface of leaf or in chambers

      • desert plants, pines

  • tropics

    • guttation - loss of liquid water

      • if cool night follows warm humid day water droplets are produced through hydathodes at tips of veins

      • in absence of transpiratoin at night, pressure in xylem elements forces water out of hydathodes

  • phloem transport:

    • most carbohydrates produced in leaves are distributed through phloem to rest of plant

    • translocation - provides building blocks for actively growing regions of the plant

    • also transports hormones, mRNA and other molecules

      • variety of sugars amino acids, organic acids, proteins and ions

  • transport of oeganic solutes in solutions

    • pressure flow hypothesis - organic solutes flow from source, where water enters by osmosis, to sinks, where food is utlizied and water exits

      • organic solutes move along concentartion graidents between sources and sinks

    • moving carbohydrates pressure flow theory

      • sources

        • photosynthetics tissues

        • food storage tissue can be sources or sinks

      • sinks

        • growing root and stem as well as developing fruits

    • specifics of pressure flow hypothesis

      • phloem loading - sugar enters by active transport into sieve tubes

      • water potential of sieve tubes decreases and water enters by osmosis

      • turgor potential of sieve tubes decreases and water enters by osmosis

      • food substances actively removed at sink and water exits sieve tubes, lowering pressure in seive tubes

      • using aphids to obtain the critical samples and radioactive tracers to mark them, plant biologist have demonstarted that substances in phloem can move remarkably fast as much as 50 to 100 cm/h

  • mineral requipremnt for growth

    • essential elements - essential as building blocks for compounds synthesized by plants

      • C, H, O, P, K, N, S, Ca, Fe, Mg, Na, Cl, Cu, Mn, Co, Zn, Mo, B

    • macronutrients - used by plants in greater amounts

      • nitrogen, potassium, calcium, phospohrus, magnesium, and sulfur

    • micronutrients - needed by the plants in very small amounts

      • iron, sodium, chlorine, copper, mangenes, cobalt, zinc, molybdenum and boron

    • when any required elemtn is deficient in soil, plants exhibit characterisitcs symptoms