Plants

572 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Essay on general seed germination

Germination is the process of the plant embryo sprouting a seedling after a period of dormancy in a seed. (The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed., 2008) Dormancy comes from the Latin word meaning “to sleep.” This period of inaction in the seed is an adaptation to support the seed so it can survive though the harsh growing conditions. (Campbell, Reece, Urry, Cain, Qasserman, Minorsky & Jackson, 2008) Once these poor conditions are absent, the seed can then germinate. The seed will absorb the water, causing it to enlarge. The growing tip of the root will emerge from the seed, and the root will begin to grow. (The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed., 2008)
All vascular plants have roots, which are multicellular organs used to secure the plant in the soil and absorb water and nutrients. (Campbell, Reece, Urry, Cain, Qasserman, Minorsky & Jackson, 2008) The root also stores carbohydrates, which is a product used in photosynthesis. (Whiting, D., 2011) The root has a root cap at the tip of the root to protect the apical meristem, which is a tissue in control of the root’s growth. Although it is not visible to the naked eye, the root cap benefits the root greatly. (New World Encyclopedia Contributors, 2004) It generates a greasy substance that acts like a lubricant for the root so that it can move through the soil more easily. The outer layer of the cells is called the epidermis, (Whiting, D., 2011) which forms from matured dermal tissue. The root develops root hairs from the epidermis, which allow the plant to absorb even more water and minerals. (Allen, K. Z., Armstrong, D. M., Bogin, B., Chubb, C., Culp, L., Cunningham, C. J… Wartski, L. M., 2002)
Tropisms are responses to directional stimuli that cause the plant to grow according...

... middle of paper ...

...rman, S. A., Minorsky, P. V., & Jackson, R. B. (2008). Biology. (8th ed.). San Francisco: Pearson Education, Inc.
Hangarter, R. P. (2000). Plants in motion. Retrieved from http://plantsinmotion.bio.indiana.edu/plantmotion/starthere.html
New World Encyclopedia Contributors. (2004, April 08). Root. Retrieved from http://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/root
Plant-and-Flower-Guide. (2009). Tropism. Retrieved from http://www.plant-and-flower-guide.com/tropism.html
The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed. (2008). Germination. Retrieved from http://www.encyclopedia.com/topic/germination.aspx
Whiting, D. (2011). Plant structures: roots. Retrieved from http://www.ext.colostate.edu/mg/gardennotes/132.html
Whyte, D. (2013). How do roots grow when the direction of gravity changes?. Retrieved from http://www.sciencebuddies.org/science-fair-projects/project_ideas/PlantBio_p034.shtml

Show More
Related

  • Effect of Fertilizer on the Wisconsin Fast Plants

    2764 Words  | 6 Pages

    Miller, K. R., & Levine, J. S. (2010). Miller & Levine biology. Boston, Mass: Pearson

    Read More

  • Jeremy Narby's Intelligence In Nature

    627 Words  | 2 Pages

    Charles Darwin once compared the root tips of plants to “the brain of one of the lower animals” he even reported electrical signal systems in plants, much like a nervous system. More than a century after Darwin, a scientist named Mancuso discovered the center for the electrical signals, or action potentials, is located in the root tips. Even small plants had nearly 14 million root tips, all acting in a similar way to a nervous system. Humans and most animals have centralized brains, meaning it is all grouped together in one spot, forming what we envision as a brain. Plants may not have a centralized brain like humans, but that doesn’t mean they lack a brain, in fact plants have “decentralized intelligence” distributed throughout them. Since plants cannot react quickly, they have no way of defending themselves against predators, so by scattering the “brain” plants avoid dying off when damaged (Marinelli). The root tips and sensory cells allow plants to feel and react to different stimuli. It is uncertain as to whether plants feel pain, but they do respond to anesthetics and react to being damaged. For example, when a caterpillar eats a plant’s leaf, the plant begins to secrete defensive chemicals. The censor cells react to the damage being done and cause the leaf to secrete chemicals to fend off the predator, as well as repair the

    Read More

  • Drosophila Ausomal and Sex-Linked Cross

    1383 Words  | 3 Pages

    Cain, M. L., Urry, L. A., & Reece, J. B. (2010). Campbell Biology. Benjamin Cummings.

    Read More

  • California Condor

    728 Words  | 2 Pages

    Miller, K. R., & Levine, J. S. (2010). Miller & Levine biology. Boston, Mass.: Pearson.

    Read More

  • Brassica Rapa Essay

    1197 Words  | 3 Pages

    Carbon dioxide is necessary for plants to carry out the process of photosynthesis, which is an important process because it allows plants to produce glucose, as well as oxygen. Based on evidence from previous experiments, the growth of the plant will reflect the amount of CO2 gas that is present in the environment (O’Leary and Knecht 1986). This means that the plant growth relies on the carbon dioxide in the atmosphere in order to be successful. Therefore, in several cases, it has been noted that when the concentration of CO2 is doubled, the plant growth will similarly increase (Carter et al. 1997). So, it can be concluded that by raising the amount of carbon dioxide in an environment, the surrounding plants will experience an increase in growth.

    Read More

  • Biology: Separation of Proteins

    1150 Words  | 3 Pages

    Campbell, N. A., Reece, J. B., & Mitchell, L. G. Biology: Fifth Edition. Addison Wesley

    Read More

  • Persuasive Essay On In Cold Blood

    1086 Words  | 3 Pages

    When reading the book “In Cold Blood” by Capote, Truman I came across many assertions one in particular discussing how the law is hypocritical. In the assertion it talks about killing and how it is a crime, but enforces it as punishment and justice. Thus showing how the law is contradicting itself. In my paper I hope to further explain and show how killing is in fact a crime, but can be used for justice.

    Read More

  • Similarities Between The Neolithic And Industrial Revolution

    759 Words  | 2 Pages

    own roots (not just the plant kind), this meant they needed a structure that was different than

    Read More

  • The Importance Of Climate Change

    1421 Words  | 3 Pages

    ...drought is a more serious case in which plants have to either acclimate or adapt to the environmental condition in which it is living in to combat the heat stress. Deep root systems and early stomatal closure are a couple strategies that plants use to increase water uptake and decrease transpirational water loss. During rainfall, plants have more water available to them because of the increase in soil water potential and stomatal conductance. Frequency in precipitation pulses allows the plant to photosynthesize and transpire in moderation. An aim for future research is to study plant physiology at the community and ecosystem levels to further understand the water and carbon budgets (Loik 2007). A plant behavior under extreme drought conditions or increased rainfall variability can help predict future changes in CO2 assimilation and help preserve plant ecosystems.

    Read More

  • Plant Structure and Function

    666 Words  | 2 Pages

    How do plants resist being uprooted during typhoons? How do they absorb water? The answer lies on a particular plant structure, which is called the root. Basically, a monocot and a dicot root differ but also have common parts like the xylem and the phloem. Through examining the roots using the light microscope, the students would hopefully be able to understand how the root is designed to perform its vital functions. A root tip basically has 4 main regions, the root cap, the meristematic region, the region of cell elongation, and the region of cell differentiation. These parts are all essential for a root to function properly, thus further stressing its importance in t...

    Read More

  • Fun History of the Sweet Potato

    708 Words  | 2 Pages

    Cook, R.J. “Influence of Water Potential of Soils and Plants on Root Disease”. Annual Reviews: A

    Read More

  • Tomato Plant Essay

    849 Words  | 2 Pages

    Start in seedling trays. Plant one or two seeds per cell. Thin to the strongest plant.

    Read More

  • Adaptation Of Plants

    657 Words  | 2 Pages

    The plants that we know today as terrestrial organisms were not always on land. The land plants of today can be linked back to aquatic organisms that existed millions of years ago. In fact, early fossil evidence shows that the earliest land plants could have arisen some 450 million years ago (Weng & Chappie 2010). Plants that used to reside strictly in water were able to adapt in ways that allowed them to move onto land. It is speculated the need for plants to move onto land was created by water drying up, causing plants to have less room and pushing them to move onto land. Although the exact cause of plant’s need to move to a terrestrial environment is unclear, it is known that plants had to undergo several adaptations to be able to live on land. These adaptations include: lignin, cellulose, suberin, and changes to plant’s surface, including the formation of a waxy cuticle.

    Read More

  • Drug Discovery

    927 Words  | 2 Pages

    Campbell, N. A. & J. B. Reece, 8th eds. (2008). Biology. San Francisco: Pearson Benjamin Cummings.

    Read More

  • Essay On Asexual Propagation

    566 Words  | 2 Pages

    Asexual propagation is the process through which reproduction without passage through the seed cycle occurs. The advantages of asexual propagation are that it preserves genetic makeup, propagates seedless plants, disease control, rapid production, the plants are identical, cheaper, faster and easier reducing or avoiding juvenility. The disadvantages of asexual propagation are that it increases disease and insect susceptibility, plants are bulky, and the mother plants could become contaminated. The goal of this experiment was to determine the development of adventitious roots and shoots, and observe these plants over a period of five weeks. Due to auxin being produced in the tip, tip cuttings should root faster than any other cuttings. Auxin is a plant hormone that is responsible for cell elongation and enlargement, root formation, and growth. There are two forms of auxins; phototropism, which is produced in the tip and moves downward on the side away from the light and gravitropism, which is where plant roots grow downward and plant shoots grow upward.(Plant Auxin 201...

    Read More

More about Plants

Open Document