Details Title: Observing God's World 1.2 Roots & Stems Description: Flashcards for A Beka Observing God's World Ch.1.2 Total Flash Cards: 20 Created: 09/16/2009 17:52:17		New Users: To study from this flashcard set, or to create your own your own study flash cards, REGISTER HERE. Existing Users: CLICK HERE. Additional Plant Sciences Flashcards
Cards in this set: Term shoot system Definition Every part of the plant visible above the ground. Term root system Definition The part of the plant located below the ground. Term taproot Definition One main root that goes down particularly deep. E.g. carrot, dandelion Term stems Definition Pipeline tissues (special tube-like cells joined end to end) in the stem carry resources to different parts of the plant. A stem contains two sets of pipelines. One set carries water and minerals upward, from the roots to the leaves. The other set carries disolved food in the other direction. Water is drawn up through the plant by evaporation. Term root cap Definition A layer of tough protective cells at the tip of a root which enables the delicate root tip to push its way through the hard ground without being damaged. Roots grow only at the tip. Term root hairs Definition Tiny projections near the end of the root which worm their way between individual particles of soil to find water and disolved minerals. Term guard cells Definition Each stoma is opened and closed by two guard cells that together surround the tiny opening. When water is plentiful the stomata open wide to allow much water to leave the leaf, when it is scarce the stomata close to keep water in. Term epiphytes Definition Are plants that have no roots, or have roots which are exposed to the air. Epiphytes never touch the ground. They grow in the tops of trees. E.g. the vanilla plant has open-air roots that carry our photosynthesis. Spanish moss is an epiphite that covers many old trees in the South, it has no roots. Its water is provided by the rain and its nutrients by dead cells from the tree it lives on. Term starches Definition Plants convert extra sugar into starches and store it. When a plant needs its food reserve, the roots change the starch back into sugar, which moves through the plant. Carrots, potatoes, beets, and turnips are food-storing roots. They are mostly starch, so are not very sweet. Sweet potatoes and sugar beets are sweeter, because they have not converted all their sugar to starch.   Term stolon Definition A stolon, also called a runner, is a stem that grows along the surface of the ground. Every so often along its length the stolon sends down roots that begin another plant. Many grasses have stolons. Term rhizomes Definition Thick storage stems that produce new plants but differ from stolons in that they grow just below the ground instead of on the surface. Term stem tip Definition the upper part of the stem, which produces the plant's growth. Term cellulose Definition A tough, fibrous material manufactured by plant cells out of glucose. It forms a strong cell wall around the membrane of each plant cell. Only plants have these cell walls. They are useful to plants because plants do not have skeletons or shells to give them support, as do people and animals. In much the same way that bones support your body, cellulose makes the stems and other parts of plants stiff ad firm, without taking away their flexibility. Term tendrils Definition Some tendrils are special stems. Term thorns Definition Thorns are protective stems much like leaf spines. Term tropism Definition The growth of a plant in response to a condition in its environment. Term geotropism Definition A plant's response to gravity. Term hydrotropism Definition A plant's response to water. Term phototropism Definition A plant's response to light. Term thigmotropism Definition A plant's response to touch.