Inside the PlantsA look at the system structure of plants

Evan Ehman

PHOTOSYNTHESIS Photosynthesis is how most

plants produce their own food. It occurs on the leaves of plants which can very in size and shape, depending on the plant.

Plants make Glucose out of water, Carbon dioxide and light energy from the sun.

Digestion

H2O moves from the soil into the roots, then is transported through the Xylem tissue to the leaves.

CO2 from the air diffuses into the leaves through the Stomata.

Cells trap light using Chloroplasts for energy. Energy splits the H2O. Oxygen leaves the leaf to

the atmosphere, hydrogen reacts with CO2 to for Glucose.

Equation for Photosynthesis:6CO2 + 6H2O C6H12O6 + 6O2

Glucose is used for: Respiration, turning it to sucrose and transported to other parts of the plant, and converted to starch and stored.

Physical Science, I want Brownie Points!

Stomata The Stomata (in botany terms) are found

on the leaves and green stems of plants. They open the tissue and control the exchange of gases and water vapor.

Fun Fact: The word Stomata from the Greek language meaning, mouth.

Digestion

Plant Roots The roots of a plant help

anchor a plant to the ground, and provide it with the water and dissolved minerals in needs to survive. The roots also store the products of photosynthesis perennials need to survive the winter months.

Digestion, Immune

Xylem Tissue The Xylem tissues are long hollow tubes made

up of dead lignified cells. The dead cells work ideal because they don’t absorb any water.

The cell arrange themselves end to end to form one long tube. These tubes transport water and dissolved minerals that enter through holes called “pits”, then travel up the stem.

They also help support the stem structurally.

Tissue, Circulatory, Immune

PHLOEM TISSUE Long tubes made up of specialized cells called

sieve tubes, fibers and parenchyma. The Phloem runs alongside the Xylem tissue. It transports food nutrients such as glucose and amino acids through the plant.

Tissue, Circulatory

Parenchyma Parenchyma (in botany) are cells found

throughout the tissue of plants. Their spherical and flexible shape allows for structural adaption depending on their various functions.

Tissue

Cuticle Stems and leaves of plants have a waxy

coating around them call cuticle. This coating prevents water in plant tissue from evaporating.

Immune

PLANT REPRODUCTION Land plants in order to reproduce will either

produce a spore(asexual), or a seed(sexual). They are the result of a completed process of reproduction of plants.

Flowering plants may rely on bees to transfer pollen from one plant to another. Allowing the male structure to mate with another plants female structure. This is a example of sexual reproduction.

Asexual reproduction however involves pieces of the original plant, or the structural modification of leaves, stems and roots to reproduce.

Reproduction

Seeds and Spores A seed is a small organ that contains an

embryo, food supply, and a protective coating.

A spore is a reproductive cell that is able to grow without another reproductive cell.

Reproduction

PLANT HORMONES Hormones regulate the growth and

development of a plant. Chemicals produced are transported

around the plant to produce physiological change.

Endocrine

Auxin promotes cell elongation, which is a cells method of adaption to their functions and environment.

Auxin produced in the tip of main shoot inhabits growth of side branches.

Cytokinins stimulate cell division. They also help delay aging of tissue and are responsible for mediating Auxin transported throughout the plant.

Gibberellins cause the plant to grow taller. Dwarf plants do not produce gibberellin thus cause them to be shorter.

It is also used to increase a plants seed germination and bud development.

Ethylene is a gas produced in higher plants and is often associated with the ripening of fruits.

Phototropism Positive phototropism is a plants

growth towards a light source. Negative being the growth away from light.

Positive phototropism is the most common response when the chemical Auxin reacts from the light causing the far side of the plant to have elongated cells.

Nervous, Endocrine

Survival of the Plant All of these components are required to work

together to protect the plant from its environment and prolong its life. Strong roots and sturdy tissues are required for the plant to hold up in strong winds and other forces acting upon it. Stomata and cuticles hold water and let the necessary energy into the plant to feed it. And hormone chemicals and seeds ensure the growth of the plant and the reproduction of it for future generations. Take away any one of these elements, and the plant will all but disappear from existence.

Immune

Bibliography Xtreme Papers: Transport in Plants, http://

www.xtremepapers.com/revision/gcse/biology/transport_in_plants.php - 2012 Xtreme Papers: Plant Nutrition, http://

www.xtremepapers.com/revision/gcse/biology/plant_nutrition.php - 2012 Wikipedia: Vascular tissue, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vascular_tissue - 2013 Wikipedia: Xylem, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xylem - 2013 The Encyclopedia of Earth: Stomata,

http://www.eoearth.org/view/article/156262/ - 2012 Biology4kids: Plant Reproduction, http://

www.biology4kids.com/files/plants_reproduction.html - 2013 Wikipedia: Plant reproduction, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plant_reproduction

- 2013 Britannica: Spore, http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/560952/spore/

- 2012 Plant hormones, http://www.plant-hormones.info/index.htm - 1992

CMG Garden notes: Plant Structure Roots, http://www.ext.colostate.edu/mg/gardennotes/132.html#function – 2013