Topic 9

Plant Biology

9.3 Growth in plants

HL Biology
International Baccalaureate
Diploma Programme
 Topic 9: Plant Biology
References:

1. Biology – Course Companion 2014 Edition

Chapter 9. Andrew Allott and David Mindorff
2. Higher Level Biology 2nd Edition.
Chapter 9. Alan Damon.
3. Biology for the IB Diploma..
Chapter 9. CJ Clegg
 9.3 Growth in plants
Nature of Science:

• Developments in scientific research follow improvements in analysis and

deduction—improvements in analytical techniques allowing the detection
of trace amounts of substances has led to advances in the
understanding of plant hormones and their effect on gene expression.
(1.8)

Understandings:

• Undifferentiated cells in the meristems of plants allow indeterminate

growth.
• Mitosis and cell division in the shoot apex provide cells needed for
extension of the stem and development of leaves.
• Plant hormones control growth in the shoot apex.
• Plant shoots respond to the environment by tropisms.
• Auxin efflux pumps can set up concentration gradients of auxin in plant
tissue.
• Auxin influences cell growth rates by changing the pattern of gene
expression.
 9.3 Growth in plants
Applications and skills:
• Application: Micropropagation of plants using tissue
from the shoot apex, nutrient agar gels and growth
hormones.
• Application: Use of micropropagation for rapid bulking
up of new varieties, production of virus-free strains of
existing varieties and propagation of orchids and other
rare species.

Theory of Knowledge:
• Plants communicate chemically both internally and
externally. To what extent can plants be said to have
language?
9.3: Plant Growth

Essential idea: Plants adapt their growth to environmental

conditions.
Understandings
Statement Guidance
9.3.U1 Undifferentiated cells in the meristems of plants allow
indeterminate growth.
9.3.U2 Mitosis and cell division in the shoot apex provide cells
needed for extension of the stem and development of
leaves.
9.3.U3 Plant hormones control growth in the shoot apex

9.3.U4 Plant shoots respond to the environment by tropisms.

9.3.U5 Auxin efflux pumps can set up concentration gradients

of auxin in plant tissue.
9.3.U6 Auxin influences cell growth rates by changing the
pattern of gene expression.
Applications and Skills
Statement Guidance
9.3.A1 Application: Micropropagation of plants using tissue
from the shoot apex, nutrient agar gels and growth
hormones.
9.3.A2 Application: Use of micropropagation for rapid bulking
up of new varieties, production of virus-free strains of
existing varieties and propagation of orchids and other
rare species.
Dicotyledon Structure
1. Root system extracts minerals
(nitrates & phosphates) along
with water from the soil. The
main root has lateral divisions
that are either shallow or deep
depending on the water
availability of water.
2. Stem structure supports leaf and
contains the vascular tissue that
transports substances around the
plant.
3. Petioles divisions of the stem.
They support the leaf and
contains branches of the vascular
tissues.
4. Leaf large surface area to
absorb light energy for
photosynthesis. Concentrated
within the palisade tissue of
the leaf is chlorophyll to absorb
the photons of light.
5. Auxiliary bud provide the
tissues for the growth of lateral
branches in future growing
seasons.
6. Terminal bud contains the
structures for the growth and
elongation of the main stem.
Dicotyledonous stem
Tissue types of the plant stem:
• Epidermis: surface of the stem
made of a number of layers
often with a waxy cuticle to
reduce water loss.
• Cortex Tissue: Forming a
cylinder of tissue around the
outer edge of the stem. Often
contains cells with secondary
thickening in the cell walls
which provides additional
support.
• Vascular bundle: contains
xylem, phloem and cambium
tissue.
Dicotyledonous stem
• Xylem: a longitudinal set of tubes that
conduct water from the roots upward
through the stem to the leaves.
• Phloem (sieve elements) transports sap
through the plant tissue in a number of
possible directions.
• Vascular cambium is a type of lateral
meristem that forms a vertical cylinder in
the stem. The cambium produces the
secondary xylem and phloem through
cell division in the vertical plane.
• In the center of the stem can be found
the pith tissue composed of thin walled
cells called parenchyma. In some plants
this section can degenerate to leave a
hollow stem
9.3 U.1 Undifferentiated cells in the meristems of plants allow
indeterminate growth.

• Plants growth is restricted to

'embryonic' regions called
meristems. Having specific
regions for growth and
development (restricted to
just the meristematic tissue).
• Meristems composed of
undifferentiated cells that
are undergoing active cell
division
9.3.U.1 Undifferentiated cells in the meristems of plants allow
indeterminate growth.
• Primary meristems – found at the tips of stems and roots
• Apical meristems – responsible for growth of root and
shoot

Apical meristem
9.3 U.2 Mitosis and cell division in the shoot apex provide cells needed
for extension of the stem and development of leaves.

• Cells in meristems are small, therefore they go through the cycle quicker to
produce more cells through mitosis and cytokinesis
• These new cell absorb nutrients and water which increase their volume &
mass http://www.navitar.com/images/bf2.jpg
9.3 U.3 Plant hormones control growth in the shoot apex
• Auxins (hormone) –
initiating the growth of
roots, influencing the
development of fruits and
regulating leaf
development.
• Auxin influences cell growth
rates by changing the
pattern of gene expression.

http://www.geraniumsonline.com/apex1.jpg

(a) Shoot apical meristem

(b) Leaf primordial
(c) Auxiliary bud primordium
(d) leaf
(e) Stem tissue
9.3 U.4 Plant shoots respond to the environment by tropisms.

• Gravitropism light +
gravity can affect the
direction in which
http://www.fizzicseducation.com.au/images/Gravitropism-and-tomato.jpg stems grow
• Phototropism stems
grow towards the
brightest light / absence
of light they grow
upwards (opposite
direction of gravity) ->
tropisms
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/4f/Museo_Larreta_Yatay.jpg/1280
px-Museo_Larreta_Yatay.jpg
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/8d/Sunflower_Field_near_Raichur,_India.jpg
9.3 U.5 Auxin efflux pumps can set up concentration gradients of auxin
in plant tissue.
Example: gravitropism(auxin-
dependent)
• Gravity causes cellular organelles
called statoliths to accumulate on
lower side of cells.
• This leads to the distribution of
PIN3 transporter proteins that
direction auxin transport to the
bottom of cells.
• High concentrations of auxin
inhibit root cell elongation
therefore top cells elongate at
higher rate than bottom cells
(root bends downward)
9.3 U.5 Auxin efflux pumps can set up concentration gradients of auxin
in plant tissue.

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-5UnKO8d2IOg/T7e3jjMwRoI/AAAAAAAAAhM/N1PC4kfPEgw/s1600/1-statolith.gif
9.3 U.6 Auxin influences cell growth rates by changing the
pattern of gene expression.

Root apical meristem:

(a) Root cap.
(b) Root apical meristem.
(c) Ground meristem.
(d) Protoderm.
(e) Epidermal tissue of the root.
(f) Vascular tissue (central stele).

Apical Meristem
9.3 U6. Auxin influences cell growth rates by changing the
pattern of gene expression.

Stem differentiation at the apical meristem

• Stem differentiation at
the apical meristem.
• The diagram illustrate
that the tissue added at
the apical meristem
differentiates into the
various primary plant
body structure (AB)
9.3 U6. Auxin influences cell growth rates by changing the
pattern of gene expression.

Lateral meristem is secondary growth adding thickness

usually in the following years in a perennial plant with
two types tissue:
1. Cambium that produces secondary xylem and
phloem
2. Cork cambium produces some of the bark layer of
a stem.
9.3 S1: Micropropagation of plants using tissue from the shoot apex,
nutrient agar gels and growth hormones.

http://semoneapbiofinalexamreview.wikispaces.com/file/view/39_05bColeoptileDarwins-L.jpg/289955863/560x411/39_05bColeoptileDarwins-L.jpg

• Darwin’s studied the of effects auxin on movement.

• Darwin studied phototropism using the germinating stem of the
canary grass.
• The cylindrical shoot is enclosed in a sheath of cells called the
coleoptile.
9.3 S.1: Micropropagation of plants using tissue from the shoot
apex, nutrient agar gels and growth hormones.

http://plantphys.info/plant_physiology/images/paaltip.gif

Auxin was first isolated by F. W. Went

(m) Went isolated the growth medium auxin onto agar gel.
(n) The gel was cut up into block as a way of quantifying the dose of
auxin used.
(o) The agar block (containing auxin) are placed asymmetrically on the
stem.
(p) The angle of bending-growth was measured
9.3 S.1: Micropropagation of plants using tissue from the shoot apex,
nutrient agar gels and growth hormones.

• Since Auxin (IAA3) was synthetically

produced more rigorous quantitative
bio-assay can be performed
• This graph measures the bending-
growth against the concentration of
IAA3.
Graph suggests:
• Increasing IAA3 increases the bending-
growth angle.
• Optimal angle of bending-growth is
achieved between 0.2- 0.25 mg
• Higher levels seem to have reduced-
bending growth
9.3.S2 Use of micropropagation for rapid bulking up of new varieties,
production of virus-free strains of existing varieties and propagation of
orchids and other rare species.
• Stock plant is identified for a
desirable feature.
• Micropropagation depends on
totipotent cells which retain the
ability to differentiate.
• Tissue from the stock plant are
sterilized and cut into pieces called
explant.
• The explant is placed into a growth
media along with plant hormones.
This undifferentiate mass is called a
callus.
• Once roots and shoots are
developed the cloned plant can be
transferred to soil.
• This technique is used to overcome
plant viruses or to produce large
numbers of rare plants.
http://www.toptenz.net/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/ghostorchid-570x427.jpg
9.3 S.2 Use of micropropagation for rapid bulking up of new varieties,
production of virus-free strains of existing varieties and propagation of
orchids and other rare species.

Sugar Cane

http://www.sciencephoto.com/image/212210/350wm/G28002
82Cereal_plants_being_grown_from_tissue_culture-SPL.jpg http://php.med.unsw.edu.au/cellbiology/images/6/6e/Plant_Tis
sue_Culture_Lab.jpg
9.3 S.2 Use of micropropagation for rapid bulking up of new varieties,
production of virus-free strains of existing varieties and propagation of
orchids and other rare species.

Sugar Cane

http://3.imimg.com/data3/IQ/AA/WSITE-5570267/files-resized- http://vsisugar.com/gallery/tissueculture-gallery/img/photo15.jpg
199442-470-353-aebeec90aa3a60f977156f626701cf17c8bb5439-
250x250.jpg