Lab Work 2

PLANT SPECIALIZED FUNCTION

STRUCTURE
Antigonon leptopus Tendril Support
Citrus sp. Spine Protection
Colocasia esculenta Corm Storing nutrients
Cucurbita maxima Tendril Support
Cynodon dactylon Stolon/ runner Helps for giving rise to
new plantlets
Eicchornia crassipes Offset Aeration
Euphorbia tirucalli Photosynthetic stem Photosynthesis
Opuntia/ Muehlenbeckia Cladophyll Photosynthesis
Solanum tuberosum Tuber Storing food
Uncaria sp. Hook Seed dispersal
Zingiber officinale Rhizome Give rise to vertical shoots
from axillary bud
ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS

1. What can possibly happen to a plant if its shoot apex is removed? What is apical
dominance?

According to Thimann, K. V., & Skoog, F. (1933, July), in many plants the growing
shoot apex inhibits the outgrowth of axillary buds, a phenomenon termed ‘apical dominance’.
Removal of the shoot apex leads to the release of dormant axillary buds below it to form
branches. Apical dominance allows plants to focus resources into the main axis of growth,
while activation of dormant buds allows for recovery after damage or loss of the main shoot.

2. Briefly explain why growth in plants is said to be indeterminate.

Growth can either be determinate or indeterminate. Plants are often regarded as

having indeterminate growth because based on Growth and its Phases: Plant Growth and
Development, Videos, Examples (2018) it is due to their unique ability to grow indefinitely
throughout their life due to the presence of ‘meristems’ in their body. Meristems have cells
that can divide and self-propagate. This is called ‘open form of growth’ because new cells are
constantly added to the plant body by the cells in the meristem.

Meristems in the roots and shoots of plants are responsible for ‘primary growth of the
plant’. These increase the height of the plant. On the other hand, lateral meristems increase
the width of the plant. This is known as the ‘secondary growth of the plant’.

3. How does the vascular cylinder in an old dicot stem develop form the eustele present
during primary growth?

According to Primary Growth of Stems (n.d.), eustele, is a system of separate

vascular bundles surrounding a pith and is the type found in almost all seed plants. The
vascular cylinder developed from this part when the undifferentiated procambium transforms
into secondary xylem and secondary phloem. The primary phloem and xylem remains intact
which results to the formation of vascular cylinder.
REFERENCES
Thimann, K. V., & Skoog, F. (1933, July). Studies on the Growth Hormone of Plants: III.
The Inhibiting Action of the Growth Substance on Bud Development. Retrieved
February 18, 2019, from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16577553
Growth and its Phases: Plant Growth and Development, Videos, Examples. (2018, February
16). Retrieved February 18, 2019, from
https://www.toppr.com/guides/biology/plant-growth-and-development/growth-and-
its-phases/
Primary Growth of Stems (n.d.). Retrieved February 19, 2019, from
https://www.cliffsnotes.com/study-guides/biology/plant-biology/the-shoot-system-
stems/primary-growth-of-stems