Topic 9: Plant Science (HL)

9.1 Plant Structure and Growth

Draw and label plant diagrams to show the distribution of tissues in the stem and leaf of a
dicotyledonous plant.

Explain the relationship between the distribution of tissues in the leaves and the function of
these tissues.
 Xylem: Bring water to replace losses due to transpiration, and inorganic minerals from
the soil.
 Phloem: Transports products of photosynthesis out of the leaf.
 Stoma: A pore that allows CO2 for photosynthesis to diffuse in and O2 to diffuse out.
 Guard Cells: this pair of cells can open or close the stoma and so control the amount of
transpiration.
 Upper Epidermis: a continuous layer of cells covered by a thick waxy cuticle. It prevents
water loss from the upper surface even when heated by sunlight.
 Lower Epidermis: is in a cooler position and has a thinner waxy cuticle.
 Spongy mesophyll: consists of loosely packed rounded cells with few chloroplasts. This
tissue provides the main gas exchange surface so must be near the stomata in the lower
epidermis.
 Palisade mesophyll: consists of densely packed cylindrical cells with many chloroplasts.
This is the main photosynthetic tissue and is positions near the upper surface where the
light intensity is highest.
Outline three differences between the structures of dicotyledonous and monocotyledonous
plants.
Monocot Dicot
Leaf veins Parallel to one-another Net-like pattern
Vascular bundles Randomly spread In a ring shape
Number of stamens and other Multiples of 3 Multiples of 4 or 5
organs
Roots Un-branched, grow from stems Branching roots sprouting
from other roots

Identify modifications of roots, stems, and leaves for different functions: bulbs, stem tubers,
storage roots, and tendrils.
 Bulbs: in some monocots, leaf cases grow to form bulbs, underground organs used for food
storage. They can be identified from the series of leaf bases fitting inside each other, with a
central shoot apical meristem.
 Stem tubers: In some dicotyledonous plants, stems grow downwards into the soil and
sections of them grow into stem tubers, also used for food storage. They are identified as
the vascular bundles are arranged in rings reminiscent of stem bundles.
 Storage roots: these roots are swollen with stores of food, identified by the central location
of vascular tissue.
 Tendrils: these narrow outgrowths from leaves rotate through the air until they touch a
solid support to which they attach, allowing the plant to climb upwards.

State that dicotyledonous plants have apical and lateral meristems.

 Dicotyledonous plants have apical and lateral meristems.

Compare growth due to apical and lateral meristems in dicotyledonous plants.

Apical Meristems:
 All flowering plants have them
 Located at the tip of the roots and stems
 Shoots produces new leaves and flowers
Lateral Meristems:
 They are developed as they are not necessary for a plant’s growth
 In young stems, they consist of cambium in vascular bundles
 In older stems, they are a complete ring of cambium, and form similarly in roots
 Growth makes roots/trunk thicker. Lateral meristems are located inside of the bark

Explain the role of auxin in phototropism as an example of the control of plant growth.
 Axin is a plant hormone. It controls phototropism, directional growth in response to the
source of light. Auxin is redistributed from the shoot tip (as shoot tips can detect light
intensity) on the lighter to the shadier side.
 Auxin efflux carriers (pumps) in the plasma membrane transport genes, so growth of cells
accelerates.
9.2 Transport in Angiospermophytes
Explain how root systems provide a large surface area for mineral ion and water uptake by
means of branching, root hairs, and cortex cell walls.
 Root hairs provide a large surface area for mineral ion and water uptake. Cortex cells
absorb ions that are dissolved in water, drawn in by capillary action through cortex cell
walls. Branching increases quantity and area roots can absorb ions from.

List ways in which mineral ions in the soil move to the root.
The plasma membrane of the plant cell can bring about the absorption of mineral by two different
energy demanding processes:
1. Indirect method in which proton pumps (aka hydrogen pumps) establish
electrochemical gradients
2. Direct method in which membranes actively transport a particular mineral.

Describe the process of mineral ion uptake into roots by active transport.
 Plants absorb potassium, phosphate, nitrates, and other mineral ions from the soil.
Active transport pump ions into the roots. Root hairs provide large surface area for ion
uptake.

Explain the process of water uptake by root epidermis cells and its movement through
symplastic and apoplastic pathways across the root to the xylem.
The cytoplasm of root cells usually have much higher total solute concentrations than water in the
surrounding soil. Thus, water diffuses into root cells by osmosis. Water must cross the cortex of the
root to enter the xylem via the symplastic and apoplastic routes.
 Symplastic route - water moves from cell to cell by entering the cytoplasm and going
through plasmodesmata(cytoplasmic connections)
 Apoplastic route - water moves by capillary action through cortex cell walls until it
reaches the endodermis. 90 % of water moves through the route this way.

State that terrestrial plants support themselves by means of thickened cellulose, cell turgor,
and xylem.
 Terrestrial plants support themselves by means of thickened cellulose, cell turgor, and
xylem.

Define transpiration
 Transpiration - loss of water vapour from the leaves and stems of plants.

State that guard cells open and close stomata to regulate transpiration.
 Guard cells open and close stomata to regulate transpiration.

State that the plant hormone abscisic acid causes the opening and closing of stomata.
 The plant hormone abscisic acid causes the opening and closing of stomata.
Explain how water is carried by transpiration stream, including the structure of xylem
vessels, transpiration pull, cohesion, and evaporation.
Transpiration causes a flow of water from roots to stem and leaves. This movement is called
transpiration stream.
1. Evaporation of water from spongy mesophyll cell walls of leaves
2. Evaporated water is replaced from xylem, pulled out of the xylem through
mesophyll pores by capillary action
3. Low pressure is created inside xylem vessels when water is pulled out
(transpiration pull). Xylem vessels contain long, unbroken columns of water where
the pressure is transmitted across.
4. To equalize the pressure, water travels up the vessels through its property of
cohesion.

Explain how abiotic factors affect the rate of transpiration in a typical terrestrial
mesophyllic plant.
 Light - The intensity of light increases or decreases the rate of evaporation of water
from the top of leaves, causing an increase or decrease in the rate of transpiration.
 Temperature - High temperatures increase the rate of evaporation of water from the top
of leaves, resulting in an increase in the rate of transpiration. Conversely, low
temperatures decrease the rate of evaporation of water from the top of leaves, resulting
in a decrease in the rate of transpiration.
 Wind - High wind also increases evaporation by allowing more air molecules to collide
with the water molecules on leaves, resulting in an increase in evaporation of water and
transpiration. Low wind results in more stagnant, saturated air around the stomata
which decreases evaporation and transpiration.
 Humidity - High humidity decreases the rate of evaporation and transpiration of a plant.

Outline the adaptations on xerophytes that help reduce transpiration.

 Waxy cuticle to reduce water loss
 Roots near surface of soil to collect more water
 Stomata in pits
 Curled leaves
 Hairs

Outline the role of phloem in active translocation of biochemicals.

 Phloem have sieve tubes that transport organic compounds. Column cells develop into
sieve tubes by breaking down nuclei and cytoplasm, making large pores in their end
walls to allow a flow of sap. The plasma membrane pump organic compounds into sieve
tubes using ATP. This creates a high concentration of solute causing water to diffuse in,
resulting in a positive pressure gradient allowing organic compounds to be pumped
anywhere in the plant.
9.3 Reproduction in Flowering Plants
Draw the structure of a dicotyledonous animal-pollinated flower, as seen by the naked hand
eye and hands lens.

Distinguish between pollination, fertilization, and seed dispersal.

 Pollination - transfer of pollen from anther to stigma
 Fertilization - fusion of male and female gametes in the ovum
 Seed dispersal - the spreading out of seeds (fertilised ovules), contained within fruits
(which develop from ovaries), by various means.

Draw the external and internal structure of a named dicotyledonous seed.

Describe the metabolic events in the germination in a typical starchy seed.

1. Absorption of water rehydrates living cells in seed
2. Plant growth hormone gibberellins produced
3. Stimulates production of amylase, catalyzing the digestion of starch to maltose
4. Maltose is transported to growth regions of seedling
5. Maltose converted to glucose, which is used in cellular respiration until leaves can
start photosynthesis above ground and to synthesize cellulose of other substances
for growth.
Explain how flowering is controlled in long-day and short-day plants, including the role of
phytochrome.
 Flower should only bloom when a suitable pollinator is abundant – these species show
seasonal shifts. Some plants (e.g. irises) bloom in long-day conditions (summer),
whereas others (e.g. chrysanthemums) bloom in short-day conditions (autumn/winter).
 The control of flowering is achieved through a process called photoperiodism. The
critical factor is not actually day-length – it is night-length.
 Phytochromes: leaf pigments which can be used to measure the length of night.
Phytochrome Red is produced slowly in the dark; Phytochrome Far-Red is produced
quickly in the daylight. It is the levels of Pfr that are used in determining the length of
night. Long-day plants (LDP’s) need high levels of Pfr if they are to bloom. Short day
plants (SDP’s) need low levels of Pfr.
 In daylight there is a lot of red light from the sun. Some (not much) far-red light is also
present.
 In darkness, there is neither red light nor far-red light. At night, Pfr is slowly converted
back to Pr.

Explain the conditions needed for the germination of a typical seed.

 Abundance of water - rehydrates dry tissue
 Oxygen - aerobic cellular respiration before photosynthesis can occur
 Suitable temperatures - Germination involves enzymatic activity in digestion of starch
and cellulose synthesis. If temperatures :*fall outside of temperature ranges for these
enzymes, germination does not occur. This causes seasonal germination in many places.
 Seeds vary in their light requirements and,therefore, this factor need not be included