Unit 11

Vital functions II: interaction

Audio scripts:

Unit 11, activity 2, page 67. Listen and complete the text.
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A tropism is a permanent response to a stimulus. There are different types of tropisms depending
on the stimulus that causes them. We talk about chemotropisms when there is a chemical stimulus
and hydrotropisms when the stimulus is water. Geotropisms are responses to the gravity. When
a seed germinates, the radicle grows down, regardless of the position of the seed when it was
planted. A thigmotropism is a reaction of the plant to solid objects. The tendrils of vines wrap
around an object. On the other hand, nastic movements are temporary movements, such as the
opening and closing of flowers, which are reactions to stimuli such as light and physical contact.

Unit 11, activity 8, page 69. Listen and complete the text.
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Endocrine coordination is based on the performance of the endocrine glands that secrete
chemical messengers that pass into the blood or hemolymph. These substances are called
hormones. They exert their action on other parts of the body called target organs. Hormones
control functions related to reproduction, development and growth. They have a lasting action
and act slowly and gradually.

Unit 11, activity 14, page 71. Listen and complete the text.
The effectors are the organs that carry out the responses. In animals, they are muscles or glands.
The responses can be static, if they dont involve movement and they cause the production of
some substances, that is, they are secretory responses; or dynamic, if there is movement. In
animals, they are called taxes. In plants, they are called tropisms if the response is permanent, or
nastic movements if it is temporary. In all cases, they are positive responses if they move towards
the stimulus, or negative if they move away from it.

algaida editores, S.A. Authorized photocopiable material.

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