1 Chapter 33

Control Systems in Plants

2 Introduction: What Are the Health Benefits
of Soy?
ƒ Soy protein is one of the few plant proteins that provide all of the essential amino acids
ƒ Benefits of soy include
– It reduces the risk of heart disease
– It is rich in antioxidants and fiber
– It is low in fat and helps increase “good” cholesterol (HDL) while reducing “bad”
cholesterol (LDL)
– Soy contains phytoestrogens, hormones that can reduce the symptoms of menopause in
women
– More research into the use of phytohormones to treat the symptoms of menopause is
needed
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PLANT HORMONES
5 33.1 Experiments on how plants turn toward light led to the discovery of a plant
hormone
ƒ Phototropism - plants grow toward a light source
ƒ occurs when the cells on the dark side of a plant stem elongate faster than those on the
light side
ƒ Charles Darwin and his son Francis conducted experiments that showed that the shoot tips
of plants controlled their ability to grow toward light
ƒ Peter Boysen-Jensen later conducted experiments that showed that chemical signals
produced in shoot tips were responsible for phototropism
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8 33.1 Experiments on how plants turn toward light led to the discovery of a plant
hormone
ƒ The Darwins’ experiment
– When plant tips were removed, plants did not grow toward light
– When plant tips were covered with an opaque cap, they did not grow toward light
– When plant tips were covered with a clear tip, they did grow toward light
9 33.1 Experiments on how plants turn toward light led to the discovery of a plant
hormone
ƒ Jensen’s experiment
– When a gelatin block that allowed chemical diffusion was placed below the shoot tip,
plants grew toward light
– When a mica block that prevented chemical diffusion was placed below the shoot tip,
plants did not grow toward light
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11 33.1 Experiments on how plants turn toward light led to the discovery of a plant
hormone
ƒ A graduate student named Frits Went isolated the chemical hormone responsible for
phototropism & called it auxin
12 33.2 Five major types of hormones regulate plant growth and development
ƒ Hormone - chemical signal produced in one part of the body & transported to another,
where it triggers responses in target cells
ƒ Binding of hormones to specific cellular receptors triggers a signal transduction pathway
ƒ Tiny amounts of hormone can have a big effect
13 33.2 Five major types of hormones regulate plant growth and development

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 ƒ All aspects of plant growth & development are affected by hormones
ƒ There are 5 classes of plant hormones & each class can have multiple effects on plant
growth & development
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15 33.3 Auxin stimulates the elongation of cells in young shoots
ƒ 1 - Auxins – stimulates elongation of cells in young shoots
ƒ Indoleacetic acid (IAA) is a naturally occurring auxin that promotes seedling elongation
ƒ Auxin is produced in shoot apical meristems & transported downward through a plant

16 33.3 Auxin stimulates the elongation of cells in young shoots

ƒ Concentration of auxin and site of activity are important to auxin’s effects
– In moderate concentrations, auxin promotes cell elongation in stems
– In high concentrations, auxin reduces cell elongation in stems
– Auxins affects cell elongation in roots at lower concentrations
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18 33.4 Cytokinins stimulate cell division
ƒ 2 - Cytokinins – growth regulators - promote cytokinesis, or cell division
ƒ Cytokinins
– Are produced in actively growing organs such as roots, embryos, and fruits
– Produced in roots move upward through the plant
– Retard aging in leaves and flowers therefore used to keep flowers fresh
19 33.4 Cytokinins stimulate cell division
ƒ Cytokinins & auxins interact to control apical dominance
– Auxins inhibit axillary bud growth, reducing lateral branching
– Cytokinins counter the action of auxin by promoting axillary bud growth
– The ratio of auxins to cytokinins controls axillary bud growth
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21 33.5 Gibberellins affect stem elongation and have numerous other effects
ƒ 3 - Gibberellins - plant hormones that promote stem elongation by increasing cell division &
elongation
ƒ Gibberellins were named for a genus of fungi that produce the same chemical and cause
“foolish seedling” disease
ƒ There are more than 100 distinct gibberellins produced primarily in roots & young leaves
22 33.5 Gibberellins affect stem elongation and have numerous other effects
ƒ Gibberellins also promote fruit development & seed germination
ƒ Gibberellins act antagonistically against another plant hormone called abscisic acid
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25 33.6 Abscisic acid inhibits many plant processes
ƒ 4 - Abscisic acid (ABA) - plant hormone that inhibits growth
ƒ High concentrations of ABA promote seed dormancy
– ABA must be removed for germination to occur
– The ratio of ABA to gibberellins controls germination
26 33.6 Abscisic acid inhibits many plant processes
ƒ ABA also influences plant water relations
– Accumulation of ABA in wilted leaves promotes stomatal closure
– ABA produced in roots can signal low soil moisture conditions and triggers plants to
conserve water by closing stomata
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28 33.7 Ethylene triggers fruit ripening and other aging processes
ƒ 5 - Ethylene - gaseous by-product of natural gas combustion & a naturally occurring plant
hormone

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 ƒ Plants produce ethylene in response to stresses such as mechanical pressure, injury,
infection, & drought or flood
29 33.7 Ethylene triggers fruit ripening and other aging processes
ƒ Ethylene promotes aging processes such as fruit ripening and natural cell death
– It is used commercially to ripen fruits
– Growers inhibit ethylene production using CO2 to inhibit ripening in stored fruit
ƒ Ethylene promotes leaf abscission in fall by breaking down cells at the base of the petiole
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31 33.8 CONNECTION: Plant hormones have many agricultural uses
ƒ Agricultural uses of plant hormones include
– Control of fruit production, ripening, and dropping
– Production of seedless fruits
– Use as weed killers
ƒ Agricultural uses of plant hormones help keep food prices down and benefit the environment
ƒ Some consumers are concerned that synthetic plant hormones may have dangerous side
effects for humans
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GROWTH RESPONSES AND BIOLOGICAL RHYTHMS IN PLANTS
34 33.9 Tropisms orient plant growth toward or away from environmental stimuli
ƒ Tropisms are responses that cause plants to grow in response to environmental stimuli
– Positive tropisms - cause plants to grow toward a stimulus
– Negative tropisms - cause plants to grow away from a stimulus
ƒ Plants respond to various environmental stimuli
– 1 - Phototropism—response to light
– 2 - Gravitropism—response to gravity
– 3 - Thigmotropism—response to touch
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37 33.10 Plants have internal clocks
ƒ Circadian rhythms - innate biological cycles of approximately 24 hours
ƒ Both plants and animals have circadian rhythms
ƒ Circadian rhythms are influenced by environmental cues such as light, but they are
controlled by biological clocks
ƒ The biological clocks of plants are likely the result of rhythmic production of proteins that
influence gene expression
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39 33.11 Plants mark the seasons by measuring photoperiod
ƒ Flowering, seed germination, & dormancy are all seasonal phenomena in plants
ƒ Plants detect season by measuring photoperiod, the relative lengths of day & night
40 33.11 Plants mark the seasons by measuring photoperiod
ƒ Plant flowering signals are determined by night length
– Short-day plants - flower when the dark period is greater than some critical length
– Long-day plants - flower when the dark period is shorter than some critical length
– Experiments that altered light & dark periods were used to determine that it is night
length & not day length that cues plants to flower
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PLANT DEFENSES
43 33.14 EVOLUTION CONNECTION: Defenses against herbivores and infectious
microbes have evolved in plants
ƒ Herbivores are organisms that feed on plants; many plant adaptations have evolved to

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– Production of distasteful or poisonous compounds
– Symbioses with organisms that defend plants
44 33.14 EVOLUTION CONNECTION: Defenses against herbivores and infectious
microbes have evolved in plants
ƒ Plants have also evolved defenses against pathogens
– The epidermis is the first line of defense against infection
– Chemical defenses offer a way to fight pathogens that enter the plant
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56 33.15 TALKING ABOUT SCIENCE: Plant biochemist Eloy Rodriguez studies how
animals use defensive chemicals made by plants
ƒ Animals may “medicate” themselves with chemicals produced by plants
ƒ Scientists observe which plants animals eat for “medicinal” purposes and how much of each
plant they eat
57 33.15 TALKING ABOUT SCIENCE: Plant biochemist Eloy Rodriguez studies how
animals use defensive chemicals made by plants
ƒ Observation of such animal behavior has led scientists to study how such chemicals might
benefit humans
– Plant chemicals can kill animal parasites
– Some may be useful for treatment of tumors
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1. Explain what hormones are and how they work
2. Describe the experiments that led to the discovery of auxins
3. Name the five general classes of plant hormones and describe the actions of each class
4. Explain what tropisms are and give examples of different kinds of plant tropisms
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5. Describe circadian rhythms and biological clocks; recognize the innate basis of such
rhythms and how they are affected by environmental cues
6. Explain the difference between short-day and long-day plants
7. Describe the experiments that led to the discovery of the effects of night length on
flowering
8. Explain how plants detect seasons using proteins
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9. Give examples of plant defenses that have evolved to protect plants against herbivores
and pathogens
10. Explain how scientists can help treat human diseases by studying the things that other
animals eat