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Plants

Page history last edited by Charles Forstbauer 14 years, 4 months ago

Totaled and closed 11/12 Mr F

Totaled 11/09 Mr F 

Totaled 11/06 Mr F

Test 2 Notes indexIn-Class Notes (October 27, 2009)

 

Kingdom: Plantae

-multicellular

-eukaryotes - a eukaryoke is an organism that contains complex cellular structures enclose in cell membranes. It's defining structure is the genetic material storage area - the nucleous. The vast majority of large organisms are eukaryotes. Its division occurs through duplicating and then separating chromosomes. Metosis (sexual reproduction) and meiosis (asexual reproduction) can both occur is this type of organism. Mitochondria, flagellen, and cilia are common structures to be posessed. There is a very broad spectrem under this category, and there is a diverse range of cells that are categorized under the eukaryote family including animal cells, plant cells, fungal cells, psuedopods, and cyanelles.

-non-motile

-cell walls contain cellulose

-autotrophs- an autotroph contains chlorophyll and makes its own food source. These are almost exculsively plants and produce complex organic material from simple inorganic molecules. This is achieved using photosynthesis or using inorganic reactions. Autotrophs are the basis of all life because they are the primary food source for all heterotrophs. Organisms that cannot make their own food consume autotrophs, so autotrophs either directly or indirectly provide energy for all living organisms. Interestingly, there are variants of autotrophs that produce their food using carbon from organic compounds, but can obtain energy from light sources. This type of organism is called a photoheterotroph.

-vital to life- produce most food, supply oxygen

The following video is from bill nye the science guy and mimics the lecture mr.f gave us on how all food orginates from plants. it's a fun video to help you remember how vital plants are for life:

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-originated approximately 435 million years ago

-reproduction- 2 phases, alternating generations

 

How do plants grow?

How do plants grow?

Plant growing needs:

External Factors Internal Factors
Light Plant hormones
Carbon dioxide Genetic factors
Water -
Nutrients -
Temperature -
Humidity -
Wind -
Gravity -
Day length -
Space to expand -
Appropriate environmental setting -



Three major processes regulate plant growth:

 

  • Photosynthesis
  • Plant transpiration
  • Plant respiration

 

These three processes depend on the above-mentioned external and internal factors. When these factors favour plant growth the plant will establish a balance between photosynthesis, transpiration and respiration. This is an important understanding in how plants do grow.

And how do plants grow? Actually what is growing are the plant cells. They do that by

 

  • Cell division
  • Cell elongation
  • Cell differentiation

 

During cell division (mitosis) they simply increase the number of cells. Another way to grow is to stretch the cell, to make it longer (cell elongation). Cell differentiation means that the plant is able to grow different cells that take up different tasks.

 

This is a picture of the afrore mentioned cell elongation. The picture shows how the cell stretches and how there are different phases to elongating a cell.

 

This is a very good graphic showing the different phases that go into cell division. There are six phases shown here, each with their own diagram and a whole bunch of lables that clearly show what is happening at each stage in the division process. It is important to know this because cell division is a very important part of a plants life and the way it grows.

Yet, there is not just one plant growth process. Plants make different growth movements, they have different growth speeds and different growth stages. 

 

 

Asexual Plant Reproduction is a very common way for plants to reproduce. Although most all of the plants organs are used to reproduce the stems are the most common way. In some plant species stems arch over and take root at there tips to form new plants. An example of a plant that does this is the strawberry plant. The stems of the strawberry plant is not only used for asexual reproduction but it is also used for food storage.

 

Another way for plants to reproduce is through the dispersion of their seeds.  Seeds can be dispersed through many different methods.  Some examples are animals, wind, and water.  When seeds get carried to a new place in a hospitable environment, they will grow into a new plant.  An example of this is an apple tree, shown in the diagram below.

Tree Reproduction and Growth

 

Two Main Phyla

- bryophytes: non-vascular plants; ex. moss, liverworst

     -seedless, moist, shaded areas, lack roots, small/low growing

-tracheophytes: vascular plants; ex. tomatoes

     -conduct water/carries H20 within the plant

     -xylem- transports water UP the plant

     -phloem- transports nutrients from leaves DOWN to plants

     -has stems, roots, and leaves

a)  three divisions of tracheophytes: 

1) ferns and related plants (ex. moss)

2) gymnosperms: cone bearing seed plants (ex. pine, spruce, cycads)

     -leaves frequently needle-shaped to minimize water loss

     -have cones which bear seeds

     -find at dry, cold climates, often at high altitudes

3) angiosperms: flowering seed plants (90% of all plants) in which reproduction occurs with flowers. thick, protective wall of tissue surrounding the seed.

            

example of a gymnosperms

 

Diagram of a angiosperm

 

 

Flowering Plants

Monocots:

Not Complex

-one cotyledon (cant break in half, one seed)

-Major leaf veins are parallel

-example- corn kernels (one kernel= one seed)

-Flower parts in multiples of three

-Stem vascular bundles are scattered

Dicots:

Complex

-two cotyledons (can break seed in half, two seeds)

-veins are netlike

-example- peanut (seed has two parts)

-Flower parts in multiples of four or five

-Roots develope from radicle

-Stem vascular bundles are in a ring

 

This picture shows the difference between monocots and dicots side by side. As you can tell the dicot is much more complex than the monocot.  

 

 

Tissues

Meristematic tissue: produces undifferentiated cells in the tip of shoots and roots for growth; cells continually divide. Only plant tissue that produces new cells by mitosis

     -cells are rapidly reproducing (growth)

     -Main function is mitosis

     -Cells produced in the meristems usually change and become one or another different type

Dermal tissue: "skin" of a plant, keeps leaf waterproof, covered with cuticle (protection and absorption). Covers the surface of the leaves, and the living cells of the roots and stems. Also known as protective tissue, some examples of this are the upper and lower epidermis. The periderm is also an example. The cuticle is a protective layer secreted by the epidermis.

Vascular tissue: "bloodstream" of a plant; transports water (xylem) and nutrients (phloem) throughout the plant

Ground tissue: found between vascular and dermal tissue [everything else; filler]. It synthesizes organic compounds, supports the plant, and provides storage for it. It is mostly made up of parenchyma cells.

 

This image shows and lables the vascular tissues and ground tissues of a plant cell

Roots

-hold plant in place/anchors the plant to the ground

-absorb water (requires energy and oxygen)

-taproot: one primary root, found mainly in dicots (ex. carrots)

-fibrous root: branched roots of the same size; found mainly in monocots (ex. grass and wheat)

     -prevents erosion

     -root hairs increase surface area for absorption

-roots will grow in the direction where there is the correct environment, water and mineral nutrients needed for the plant to thrive.

-Although most roots grown underground this is not always the case. Aerial roots grow entirely above ground an example of this is an ivy plant.

-The root is one of the main organs of a plant

-Roots can be aerating, which means that they grow up above the ground, or above water (which is mostly the case)

-The first root that comes from the plant is called the "radical"

-Roots generally bear no leaves, and lack nodes, which makes them different from the stem of a plant

 

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^^This video explains how water and nutrients are transported through a plant. The man explains absorption and how water is carried in the xylem to get to the leaves and other parts of a plant

 

This is a picture of sap leaking out of a tree.  This represents why maple syrup is produced in the fall.  The fall is the main season in which the phloem transports the products of photosynthesis throughout the plant.  This being said, when a hole is drilled into a tree in the fall, an abundance of the products the phloem has been transporting will flow out, and is then transformed into maple syrup by boiling it. 

Stems

-provide support

-some store food (ex. rhubarb, asparagus)

-woody (ex. maple, oak, spruce)

-herbaceous: soft, green, and juicy (only live 1-2 seasons)

-In most cases, plants' stems are located above the ground, but some plants' stems are located under the soil surface, known as underground stems

-Stems provide a place for plants to keep their leaves/flowers/fruit. They help elevate all of these things

-Stems produce new living tissue

-Stems store the plant's nutrients

-stems are usually divided into nodes and internodes. these nodes hold buds which will eventually grow into leaves. The purpose of internodes is to create spaces between the nodes.  

 

This picture gives a nice visual of the different parts of a stem.

 

Flowers

-organ of reproduction

-pollination: transfer of pollen from another to carpel (where fertilization occurs) by wind, water, insects, birds, and bats

     For example, corn pollinates by the wind carrying the seeds from one plant to another. this is why the outside plants of a corn field are mostly dead; they never get pollinated

     Flowers use bright colors to attract pollinators like bees and butterflies. if these flowers are not pollinated, they will die. 

-sperm + egg = fertilization

-petals are accessories which are not required but attract pollinators

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this video goes into depth on the pollination of plants 

An example of how a monocot looks vs. how a dictot looks. This graphic shows their differences and similarities in appearance.

 

 

Here is a video that can help to explain the difference between monocots and dicots

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uxpumBpFKHg

 

 

 

Above is a diagram of 3 different tissues in plants: dermal, ground, and vascular. This diagram shows where each tissue lays in the plants structure.

 

 

    There are differences in plants and their reactions to photosynthesis.  One of these differences has to do with the one discovered by H. Kortschak in the 1960's that has to do with the number of carbons that are produced in the product of photosynthesis.  Plants differ from C3 plants and C4 plants.  C3 plants produce a product with three carbon molecules which is identified as a different molecule than a C4 plant with has 4 carbon atoms in its product.  A four carbon atom plant's product is oxaloacetate which is an addition of one carbon atom to phosphoenolpyruvate. 

 

Adaptation- Plants will adapt to their different enviornments they are placed in. for example, if a plant rest's on the bottom of the rainforest, its leaves become larger and a red color because they cannot get as much  sunlight as the plants at the canopy of the rainforest. 

 

The Secret Life of Plants: Video Guide [side one]

 

1. Fruit falls which contains 1000 seeds. When each seed germinates, it must travel to reach a tree trunk. Then it starts upward and produces leaves so it can manufacture food.

2. Leaves are factories for food from sunshine, water, and a few minerals.

-Plants take water from the ground through their roots

-They take a gas called carbon dioxide from the air

-Use sunlight to turn water and carbon dioxide into oxygen and glucose. Oxygen is a gas in the air that we need to breathe. Glucose is a kind of sugar. Plants use glucose as food for energy

and as a building block for growing. The way plants turn water and carbon dioxide into oxygen and sugar is called photosynthesis

-Photosynthesis: "putting together with light"

3. How does air (carbon dioxide) come into the leaf?

     -Air comes into the leaf from the pores on the surface of a leaf.

4. The red underside of a begonia leaf reflects

     -light.

5. How does the plant (and leaves) get water?

     - The plants get water through the roots.  The roots grow with tiny hairs on them that help them suck in water.

6. 90% of water gets lost from evaporation in the large, 70 ft tree. How does the tree get a new water supply up to its leaves?

     - The tree gets a new water supply up to its leaves from the hair-thin pipes inside the trunk. The bark carries sap, and the tubes and pipes carry the water up and into the branches and leaves.

-sieve cells lie side by side in layers along the circumference of the tree
-osmosis... the water gradient wants to be equal between cells so that water flows up into the cells with 
lower concentrations of water  
-Capillary action... the sieve cells are so narrow that the water is drawn up into it, just like a paper towel
-Attraction... "water tension" between water molecules, the water molecules are so attracted to each other that they can stay togetehr without a 
supporting wall_ Just like droplets put on a penny
-Transpiration... as water evaporates from the leaves, more water is drawn into the leaves from 
the water in the tree branches.

7. Leaves can't absorb water directly. Too much water often falls on them. Describe three ways leaves can be adapted to prevent too much water from accumulating on them:

     a. Leaves have gutters to carry away the water.

     b. The pointed tips help drain the excess water.

     c. Dense hairs on the leaf keep the pores free.

8. Animals, such as the monkeys in this video, which feed on leaves have trouble digesting the cell walls because they are made of cellulose. So bacteria in the stomachsmust help break down this material.

9. Describe the special adaptation of the small caterpillar who feeds on leaves: (describe its behavior)

     -The caterpillar cut a piece of leaf off. It spun silk over the crease and used the stregth of the silk to attach from the outside of the cut out to the leaf, so that there is more leverage to pull the crease tightly. It made a tent for shelter and food. The caterpillar is then protected from predators such as birds, that do not notice them under the shelter of the leaf. The caterpillar then proceeds to eat the top layer off of the leaf, being protected from its predators.

10. The Acacia tree has thorns as a protective adaptation. Name the animal which feeds on this tree's leaves and describe the adaptations which allow it to feed on them.

     -Giraffe- These animals can eat tough, prickly leaves because of their soft, rubbery lips and tongues. They also have very thick hides, allowing them to push up and into the tree to get the further off leaves without damaging themselves. The Acacia tree only has the protective thorns on the outer branches of the tree, and towards the inner branches there is no protection, because the Giraffes are not capable of getting to their leaves.

 

The Secret Life of Plants: Video Guide (side two)

 

11. Plants have many ways to protect themselves. Briefly discuss each of the following plant's protective methods.

     a. Nettles

     - Thin, hollow, poisonous pricks that poison you when you touch them.

     b. Pebble Plant

     - They blend in with the ground or their surroundings to hide from predators.

     c. Passion Flower (protection against the butterfly)

     - A flower with fake, yellow spots that mimic butterfly eggs. If a butterfly sees too many eggs on one plant, it will try to find another one to lay its eggs on so that the eggs will have enough food to eat when they hatch. The plant creates its own fake butterfly eggs to deter butterflies from leaving their eggs there.

     d. Bracken

     - Plant that has toxins inside that kill/give cancer to organisms that touch it.

     e. Mimosa plant (protection against the grasshopper)

     - Folds leaves and flops to the ground (closes so that it can't be opened and hides the edible part of the plant from the grasshopper)

12. Name the two types of plants shown which trap and digest insects

     a. Venus fly trap (has a leaf that has a webbed edge, when the pray lands on the leaf the leaf closes and the edges interlock preventing escape. When the bug struggles in an attempt to escape, the plant reacts by slowly closing, trapping the bud inside, where acids can digest its body.)

https://umbiology.wikispaces.com/file/view/800px-meal_worm_in_venus_fly_trap_1.jpg This link contains a picture of the venus fly trap in action, in this case with a caterpillar.

     b. Trumpet pinchers (prey are attracted to the plant, fall in to the pitcher, then drown and dissolve in the liquid)

http://www.brucemeans.com/photos/p-trumpet-frog450.jpg This link contains a picture of the trumpet pitcher in action, in this case with a frog.

13. Borneo has 76 species of pitcher plants. The tip of a leafl touches the ground and swells to open up as a pitcher. Describe the three major adaptations that this plant has which allows it to attract, capture, and digest insects.

     a. attracts

     -with sweet nectar

     b. captures

     - sides are slippery so the insects fall in

     c. digests

     - fluids inside the plant help to break down the insect's body.

The Nepenthes  from Greek: ne 'not', penthos 'grief, sorrow'; named after the mythical drug Nepenthe), popularly known as tropical pitcher plants or monkey cups, are a genus of carnivorous plants in the monotypic family Nepenthaceae. The genus comprises roughly 120 species, numerous natural and many cultivated hybrids. They are mostly liana-forming plants of the Old World tropics, ranging from South China, Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines; westward to Madagascar (2 species) and the Seychelles (1); southward to Australia (3) and New Caledonia (1); and northward to India (1) and Sri Lanka (1). The greatest diversity occurs on Borneo and Sumatra with many endemic species. Many are plants of hot humid lowland areas, but the majority are tropical montane plants, receiving warm days but cool to cold humid nights year round. A few are considered tropical alpine with cool days and nights near freezing. The name 'Monkey Cups' refers to the fact that monkeys have been observed drinking rainwater from these plants.

14. How big is the surface area of the very large leaf show that was found in Borneo?

     -34 square feet

15. Describe what happens in the autumn in North America to the leaves of many trees.

     -The trees shut down food factories and begin to withdraw chlorophyll from the leaves. Without green chlorophyll in the plant, different wastes and materials become visible, resulting in the varying yellow, orange, and red colors of leaves in the fall. As the leaves dry out, they are sealed off. The leaves develop a hard seal at the end of the stem. A slight breeze can make the leaf fall.

16. The organisms which are the largest and the oldest on Earth are trees.

     a. The largest is:

     -Pando

     b. The oldest is:

     -Pinus longaeva

 

 

C3 vs. C4 Plants:

  • C3 plants

     Accounting for more than 95% of earth's plant species, use rubisco to make a three-carbon compound as the first      stable product of carbon fixation. C3 plants flourish in cool, wet, and cloudy climates, where light levels may be low,      because the metabolic pathway is more energy efficient, and if water is plentiful, the stomata can stay open and let      in more carbon dioxide. However, carbon losses through photorespiration are high.

 

 

  • C4 plants

     Possess biochemical and anatomical mechanisms to raise the intercellular carbon dioxide concentration at the site      of fixation, and this reduces, and sometimes eliminates, carbon losses by photorespiration. C4 plants, which      inhabit hot, dry evironments, have very high water-use efficiency, so that there can be up to twice as much      photosynthesis per gram of water as in C3 plants, but C4 metabolism is inefficient in shady or cool environments.      Less than 1% of earth's plant species can be classified as C4.

 

 

WB01338_3.gif (869 bytes)Click This Button for Explanation of the Graph Above

 

 

Adaptations: Plants that live in a changing climate have to have special adaptations so that they don't die during the winter months. Reading from the text book, it says "as cold weather approaches, deciduous plants turn off photosynthetic pathways, transport materials from leaves to roots, and seal leaves off from the rest of the plant." The lower temperatures of the colder weather slow down the efficiancy of photosynthesis, and in addition to the changing conditions of it's environment, the plant finds it is much to taxing to keep its leaves alive. The plant shuts down many passageways and transports the nutrients to the roots of the plant. The leaves fall because the plant creates an abscission layer of cells at the petiole (the base of the leaf) that seals the leaf off from the plant's vascular system. The leaf drys out and changes colors before it actually falls.

 

 

 

 

Carnivorous Plants

 

 

There are many types of plants on this planet. But the most interesting and detailed types of plants are the carnivorous plants. Carvnivorous plants are a type of plant that gets most of their  nutrients by trapping and consuming small animals or insects and arthropods. Carnivorous plants usually grow in places where the soil is thin or poor in nutrients. This includes about 630 species of carnivorous plants that trap prey, produce digestive enzymes, and later absorb the nutrients.

 

 

 

  Pitcher plant consuming food.

 

Venus Fly Trap:

This is a picture of the Venus Fly Trap plant digesting an ant. Normally the trap would be shut to keep the ant trapped inside, but this one has been opened to show what is inside. The leaves of this carnivorous plant secrete a sweet nectar that attracts the animals or insects to it. The inside of the Fly Trap has 6 short stiff hairs called "trigger hairs" that act as a motion detector for the plant. When these hairs are touched, the leaves close on the prey within a second. The leaves of this plant create an air tight seal to keep out bacteria and mold. Once the trap has been closed, the leaves secrete a toxic chemical much like the ones our stomachs make. The final absorption of nutrients happens through enzymes. 

 

 

 

 Five basic trapping mechanisms found in carnivorous plants.

 

1.  Pitfall traps (pitcher plan) trap prey in a rolled leaf that contains a pool of digestive enzymes.

2. Flypaper traps use a sticky mucilage.

3. Snap traps utilize rapid leaf movemtns

4. Bladder traps suck in prey with a bladder that generates an internal vacuum.

5. Lobster pot traps force prey to move towards a digestive organ with inward-pointing hairs.

 

I was having a hard time locating where the Chloroplasts were in a plant and this diagram really cleared it up for me...

Plant cell anatomy 

 

 

 

 

 

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   This is an extra diagram, for the plant reproductive system . It is useful because it shows the reproductive process of the diploid.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Comments (1)

Jimmy Mulpeter said

at 5:48 pm on Nov 3, 2009

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uxpumBpFKHg
Here is a video that goes into pretty deep detail about plants and it will probably help you understand the differences between monocots and dicots better

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