Chapter 8.

How Plants Survive

Content Standards:

The learners demonstrate the understanding of:

 plant form and function

 plant growth and development

Performance Standards:

The learners shall be able to :

1. design a setup on propagating plants using other methods such as hydroponics and

aeroponics

Learning Competencies:

The learners:

a. describe the structure and function of the different plant organs

b. explain the different metabolic processes involved in the plant organ systems

Big Idea
Plants do have specializes structures in order for them to carry out their functions.

Plants are notably different from animals in terms of the

following:
1. Mobility. Plants are stationary, while animals can
freely move around in search of food source, as well as water. In fact,
plants are at the mercy of rain and humans for the supply of water.
2. Growth. Plants can grow to an extremely towering
height provided with a suitable environment. It is indeterminate
unlike the animals that has a limited growth.
3. Response to environment. Plants respond to

Fig. 6a Parts of a plant

 stimuli differently from that of an animal. Tropism is a general term referring to their responses. Plant’s
stem is bent towards the source of sunlight, this response is called phototropism.
4. Cell structure. Plant cells do not have centriole, which aids in cell division, while
animals do not have cell wall, which provides rigidity to plant cells and chloroplast, as the site of
photosynthetic reaction .

Plants are grouped into clusters that have similar

characteristics. Plants within a group are more closely related
to other members of their own group than to members of
another group, just as you are more closely related to your
parents and brothers and sisters than you are to families of
other students. Plants belong to Kingdom Plantae, and is
subdivided into vascular and non-vascular plants and so
on. Figure 8b shows how plants are grouped further.
Fig. 8b Plant Classification
Plants are autotrophs, meaning they produce their
own food using energy from the sun. They are important because they help enhance the aesthetic
condition of our world. They give us oxygen to breathe, and most especially hey provide us food.
Plants, like multicellular animals, have organs composed of different tissues, which in
turn are composed of cells. The plant body consist of two basic parts- the shoot system and the
root system.
Shoot system is above the ground and includes organs
such as leaves, buds, stems, flowers and fruits. The function of
the shoot system include: photosynthesis, reproduction, storage,
transport, and hormone production
Root system is below ground and includes roots as well
as modified stem structures such as tubers and rhizomes. The
functions of the root system include: anchorage, absorption,
storage, transport, and production of certain hormones.

The three basic parts (organs) of a plant are:

1.Leaves Leaves are the site of the food making process called
photosynthesis. In this process, carbon dioxide and water in the
Fig. 8c Plant Structures
presence of chlorophyll (the green pigment) and light energy are
changed into glucose (a sugar). This energy rich sugar is the
source of food used by most plants.
2. Stem Stems have four main functions which are: support for and the elevation of leaves,
flowers and fruits. The stems keep the leaves in the light and provide a place for the plant to keep
its flowers and fruits. Transport of fluids between the roots and the shoots in the xylem and
phloem.
3. Roots The first root that comes from a plant is called the radicle. A root's four major functions
are 1) absorption of water and inorganic nutrients, 2) anchoring of the plant body to the ground,
and supporting it, 3) storage of food and nutrients, 4) vegetative reproduction and competition
with other plants.
There are three basic types of cells in plants. These are parenchyma, collenchyma, and
sclerenchyma cells. They constitute the tissues of the plants namely: dermal, vascular, and
ground tissues Each plant organ has dermal, vascular, and ground tissues. These three tissues
form into the three systems: (a)Roots (b)Shoots and (c)Vascular Systems in the plants.

The three types of cells are:

1. Parenchyma- are most abundant and least specialized cells.
They are loosely-packed, cube shaped or elongate cells with a
large central vacuole and thin cell walls. They are specialized
for storage and photosynthesis. The fleshy part of an apple is
actually made of parenchyma cells.
2. Collenchyma- are irregular in shape with thicker walls and
support parts of plants. The cell walls are also flexible to
support new growth regions of the plant .
3. Sclerenchyma - are the cells that support non-growing parts
of plants because they have thick, rigid, non-stretchable cell
walls. They often die at maturity leaving empty box-like Fig. 8d Types of Plant Cells
structures. These two types of sclerenchyma cells are the
sclereids and fibers. Fibers are cells up to 50 cm long that are
usually occurring in strands. Sclereids have thicker walls and
come in many shapes.

The three types of tissues:

Dermal Tissues are the covering of the plant body. It consists

Fig. 8e fibers and sclereids
of epidermis in young plants and non-woody plants, later is
replaced by periderm in woody plants.

 Epidermis is made of parenchyma cells in a single

layer. It is found on stem and leaves and helps
prevent water loss by transpiration and produces
a waxy materials called cuticle. Epidermal cells on
roots form extensions called root hairs to absorb
H2O and nutrients. Openings in the epidermis on
the underside of a leaf where gases are exchanged
are called stomata (stoma, singular). Sausage-
shaped guard cells are found on each side of the
stoma to help open and close the pore to prevent
water loss. When guard cells LOSE water, the
stoma CLOSE, while the stoma OPENS when
Fig. 8f Plant showing the dermal tissues & stomata
 guard cells gain water & swell. Stomata are closed during the HOTTEST parts of
the day to prevent water loss from leaves.

Dead cork cells replace epidermis in woody stems & roots.

 Periderm is only found in woody plants. They serve as support and protection for the
plants. Dead cells become the bark of the stem in woody plants.

• Trichomes are hairlike outgrowths of epidermis , while

root hairs are tube extensions from epidermal cells.
They greatly increase the root’s surface area for
absorption and keep leaf surfaces cool and reduce
evaporation.

Fig. 8g trichomes and root hairs

Ground Tissue makes up most of the plant’s body, dermal
covers the outside of the plant and vascular tissue conducts
water and nutrients. Ground tissue constitutes the majority of the plant body and contains
parenchyma, collenchyma, and sclerenchyma cells

Ground tissue of the leaf (called mesophyll) uses the energy in sunlight synthesize sugars in a
process known as photosynthesis

Vascular tissues transport water and dissolved substances inside the plant and helps support the
stem. The 2 types of vascular tissue are xylem & phloem.

Xylem carries water and dissolved ions from the roots

to stems and leaves.

Phloem carries dissolved sugars from the leaves to all

other parts of the plant. Xylem has 2 kinds of conducting cells
--- tracheids & vessel elements. Phloem moves sap (dissolved
sugars & minerals) from source (where they are made)
to sink (where they will be used). Phloem is made of cells
called sieve tube members and companion cells. Sieve tube Fig. 8h Plant’s vascular tissues
members are stacked to form tubes called sieve tubes with
porous sieve plates between the cells for movement of sugars
 Companion cells are along each sieve tube member & help in loading sugar into the sieve tube.
Tracheids are long, narrow sclerenchyma cells with walls and pits for water to move
between them.

Vessel elements are short, wide sclerenchyma

cells without end walls stacked on top of each other.

Angiosperms (flowering plants) have tracheids & vessel

elements, while gymnosperms (cone bearers) only
have tracheids.

Characteristics of Plant Tissues

Functions
Tissue Types of cells Location
system roots stems leaves
dermal Flat, living parenchyma ( epidermal Outermost layer(s) of cells Absorption, Gas exchange Gas exchange protection
cells) in nonwoody parts; flat, dead protection protection
parenchyma ( cork cells ) in woody parts
ground Mostly parenchyma, usually with some Between dermal and vascular Support, storage Support, storage photosynthesis
collenchyma and fewer sclerenchyma in nonwoody plant parts
vascular Elongated cells-dead xylem and living Tubes throughout plant Transport, support Transport, Transport, support
phloem, also parenchyma and support
sclerenchyma ( fibers)

Roots

Roots grow underground (subterranean part of the plant).

Roots have 3 main functions --- (1)anchor plants (2) absorb and
conduct water & minerals; and (3) store food.Roots need sugars
from photosynthesis. Shoots rely on water and minerals
absorbed by the root system.

 Root cap covers the apical meristem (growth tissue) at

the tip of the root & produces a slimy substance so roots
can more easily grow through the ground.
 Apical meristem replaces cells of the root cap as they are
damaged.
Parts of the roots:

 Root cap is for protection, gravity detection

 Zone of cell division- zone of mitotic divisions
 Zone of elongation- where cells lengthen, no
division
 Zone of maturation- is where cells differentiate,
outer layer becomes dermis

The core of the root is called the vascular

cylinder & contains xylem & phloem. In maturation zone,
Casparian strip forms – waterproof barrier material
surrounding vasculature.

Some roots are modified for storage, for support and for
aeration.

Stem is
an organ made of an alternating
system of nodes, points at which leaves
attach and internodes, stem length
between nodes.

Axillary bud - structure that can form

a lateral shoot, or branch.

Apical/terminal bud - located near the

shoot tip, lengthens a shoot.

Apical dominance maintains

dormancy in most nonapical buds.
Stems are adapted to support leaves, transport water & minerals , while some of them are
modified to store food and/or water, which is done by tubers (potatoes) underground
food storage stems.

The tip of each stem usually has

a terminal Bud enclosed by specialized
leaves called Bud scales. Vascular Tissue
is arranged in bundles with xylem
toward the inside & phloem toward the
outside. Vascular bundles are scattered
throughout monocot stems, while the
vascular bundles are arranged in rings in
dicot stems .

Leaves are arranged differently in a

stem in order to obtain amount of sunlight. Leaves
generally have a flattened blade and a stalk called the
petiole, which joins the leaf to a node of the stem.

The leaf is the main photosynthetic organ of most

vascular plants. Leaves are several layers thick – each with different cell types. Most dicot leaves
have 2 types of mesophyll: palisade mesophyll, which is high photosynthesis, and spongy
mesophyll, which has plenty of air spaces for gas & water exchange. Monocot leaves have 1 type

of mesophyll only.Leaf epidermis contains stomata - allow CO2 exchange .Monocots and dicots
differ in the arrangement of veins, the vascular tissue of leaves as well. Monocot leaves have
parallel venation, while dicots have netted venation.

Some leaves store food (onion) and water, protect (cactus spines).
 Plant cells are arranged into tissues
and tissue systems. A simple tissue is
composed of only one type of cell. A
complex tissue is composed of more than
one cell type. Plants are composed of
specialized cells and tissues. In plants, the
formation of new cells, tissues and organs
is restricted almost entirely to regions
known as meristems.

The illustration below summarizes the

differences between monocot and dicot
plants.

Plants grow throughout life. Growth at “tips” (length) and at “hips” (girth). There is a
growth patterns observed in plants. Growth is categorized into primary or secondary growth.
Primary growth is made possible by apical meristem. This is responsible for the increase
in length and growth in specialized structures such as fruits and flowers. Secondary growth is
made possible by lateral meristems. This is responsible for increase in stem/root diameter.

Plants respond to their environment by the way they grow or do not grow. Growth in
plants can result in an increase in length, or an increase in thickness, or both. The special areas
where growth is occurring in plants are called meristems. These areas are easily spotted under
a microscope because the recently divided or dividing plant cells are smaller and more dense and
have either larger nuclei or visible chromosomes. Meristems are these regions where many cells
are undergoing cell division (mitosis).

Meristems are located near the tips of stems and roots and between a plant’s xylem and
phloem.
 There are 3 main types of meristematic tissue in vascular
seed plants: apical, intercalary, and meristematic.
1. Apical meristem is found in the tips of stem and roots.
They are responsible for the increase of the length at tips.
Apical meristem occur at the tips of roots and
shoots and are responsible for the length-wise extension
of the plant body known as primary growth. Cells in
apical meristem are produced by mitosis and then
differentiate into specialized cells and tissues.
The apical mersistem gives rise to 3 primary
meristems (a) protoderm, gives rise to the outer covering
of the plant; (b) procambium, gives rise to vascular tissue
; and (c) ground tissue, which gives rise to the three types
of plant cells.

2. Intercalary meristem is found in between the tips and

base of stem and leaves. They are responsible for the
increase in length between the nodes.
3. Lateral meristem is found in the sides of stem and roots.
They are for the responsible for the increase in the
diameter of a plant.
Some monocots, such as grasses & bamboo, have intercalary
meristems located above the bases of leaves and stems allowing
them to regrow quickly after being cut. Woody plants have
meristem between xylem and phloem to produce wood. Lateral meristems produce outward
growth in plants or secondary growth. Lateral meristems are called cambium (cambia). Vascular
cambium makes wood and vascular tissues and cork cambium makes cork and bark.
Plants without lateral meristems have only primary, not secondary growth and are called
herbaceous plants.

Hormones are one way a plant’s growth is controlled. Hormones are chemical substances
which are made by plants and which affect how plant tissue growth by stimulating plant cells to
divide, to enlarge, or to stop growing.
 As plants grow, it is also affected by external and
internal stimuli. The growth responses of plants to
their environment is called tropism. It is a plant's
directional growth response to a physical stimulus
such as light, gravity, or contact.

There are two types of tropism:

 positive tropism: when the plant grows

toward the stimulus
 negative tropism: when the plant grows
away from the stimulus .

Plants’ responses to light is phototropism .

Gravitropism is the response to gravity.
Thigmotropism is the response to touch.
Chemotropism is the response to chemicals, and
Hydrotropism is the response of plants to water.

Plant's response to gravity could be demonstrated

positively and negatively. Positive gravitropism is
when it grows toward the pull of gravity (roots), while
negative gravitropism happens when plants grow away
from the pull of gravity ( stem and leaves).

Plants’ activities such as flowering are also affected

by light. The following are the factors that affect plants
significantly:

1.Intensity

Plants can become etiolated, it is the condition of a plant when

grown in the absence of light elongated stems with small, pale leaves.
 2. Duration

Duration refers to the length of daylight affects the

photoperiodism of plants. It is considered as the chief
factor affecting flowering of plants. Photoperiodism is the
response of a plant to changes in the length of daylight(the
reponses of a plant to changes in light intensity and length
of days). It often determines whether or not a plant
produces flowers. Some plants can accurately measure the
length of light and darkness to within minutes so they will
flower at precisely the right time of year.

In fact, plants are classified according to photoperiodism as to:

 Short-day plants

These are plants that flower when exposed to less than 12 hours of sunlight (bloom when the
days are short and the nights are long). The examples are chrysanthemums,
corn, strawberries, apples, soybeans, and violets. They flower naturally out-of-doors in the early
spring or in late summer and fall.

 Long-day plants

These plants require more than 12 hours of light. They bloom with long periods of light and
short periods of darkness, generally flower during late spring and summer. The examples are
clover, gladiolus, sunflowers, beets, lettuce, and grains .

 Neutral-day plants

These plants flower independently of a photoperiod. They bloom whenever conditions like
moisture and temperature are acceptable regardless of the amount of light or darkness. They
usually flower continuously if other conditions(temperature and moisture, etc.) are favorable.
The examples are tomato, dandelion, hybrid roses, beans, zinnias, and cotton.