🌱 ROOT SYSTEM
What are the three main functions of roots?
Anchorage, absorption, and storage.
What are the major parts of a plant that make up the shoot system?
Leaves, stems, flowers, and fruits.
What type of plant tissue is made up of young, actively dividing cells?
Meristematic tissue
What distinguishes permanent tissues from meristematic tissues?
Permanent tissues are mature cells that have lost their ability to divide and have developed specific shapes, sizes, and functions
What is the tip or outermost end of the leaf blade called?
Apex
What type of root system has one thick primary root with smaller roots growing from its sides?
Taproot system
What is the primary site of photosynthesis in the shoot system?
Leaves
Which meristem is found at the tips of roots and shoots and is responsible for primary growth?
Apical meristem
Which permanent tissue conducts water and dissolved minerals upward from the roots to the leaves?
Xylem
What is the central structural and transport corridor of a leaf?
Midrib
Which root system is characterized by many thin roots of roughly equal size that spread near the soil surface?
Fibrous root system
What structure connects the roots to the leaves and transports water, minerals, and sugars throughout the plant?
Stem.
Which type of meristematic tissue increases the width, diameter, or girth of a plant?
Lateral meristem
Which permanent tissue transports organic nutrients, particularly sugars produced during photosynthesis, throughout the plant?
Phloem
What are the secondary vascular tissue networks that branch out from the midrib?
Veins
A plant needs to survive in an area where water is located deep underground. Which root system would provide an advantage, and why?
Taproot system, because its primary root grows deeply and can access underground water
A plant has plenty of water and minerals in its roots, but these materials cannot efficiently reach its leaves. Which shoot-system structure is primarily responsible for transporting these materials?
The stem, which connects the roots to the leaves and helps transport water and minerals
A grass plant is repeatedly cut by grazing animals but is able to rapidly regrow its stems and leaves. Which meristem is primarily responsible for this ability, and what other type of growth does it promote?
Intercalary meristem. It promotes rapid elongation of stems and helps regenerate leaves; it also allows grasses and bamboo to regrow after being grazed or cut.
Identify the permanent tissue described: It consists of living, elongated cells with thickened corners and provides flexible support to growing parts such as leaf stalks and stems.
Collenchyma
In a flower, which structure captures and holds pollen grains, and which structure connects it to the ovary?
The stigma captures pollen, while the style connects the stigma to the ovary and provides a pathway for pollen tubes.
A heavy rainstorm occurs on a hillside. Plant A has a taproot system, while Plant B has a fibrous root system. Based on the characteristics of the two systems, which plant's roots would provide greater protection against soil erosion, and what structural feature allows them to do this?
Plant B, with the fibrous root system. Its numerous shallow, branching roots form a dense mesh that holds the topsoil together and helps prevent erosion.
A flowering plant loses most of its leaves but still has healthy roots and stems. Which major shoot-system function would be immediately affected, and which reproductive structures could still perform their reproductive roles?
Photosynthesis would be greatly affected because the leaves are the primary sites of photosynthesis. The flowers and fruits are reproductive structures and perform reproductive functions.
A young plant needs to increase its height, while an older woody plant needs to increase its diameter. Which meristematic tissues would primarily accomplish these two forms of growth, respectively?
Apical meristem for increased height/length, and lateral meristem for increased diameter/girth. Apical meristem produces primary growth, while lateral meristem produces secondary growth.
A plant must transport water from its roots to its leaves while simultaneously distributing sugars produced by photosynthesis to other parts of the plant. Which two tissues accomplish these tasks, and what is the direction or role of each?
Xylem transports water and dissolved minerals upward from roots to leaves, while phloem transports organic nutrients such as sugars downward and outward to other parts of the plant.
A pollen grain lands successfully on the top of a flower's female reproductive structure. Trace the structures it encounters from pollen capture until it reaches the structure containing the ovules.
Stigma → style → ovary. The stigma captures the pollen, the style provides the pathway for the pollen tube, and the ovary contains the ovules.