ALASKA TUTORIALS

O’LEVEL BIOLOGY
ASSISTIVE NOTES
PLANT SCIENCE: - COORDINATION AND RESPONSE
Scope and Competences
KEY CONCEPT OBJECTIVES [be able to: -] CONTENT
Define phototropism and geotropism
Illustrate phototropism and geotropism in response by plants to light and gravity
plants
Plant hormone as a chemical substance
8.15.2 Define a plant hormone produced in one part of a plant and transported
Coordination and to other parts where it initiates a response
response Uses of
- Ethylene
Describe the application of hormones to
- Gibberellins
growth and development of plants
- Auxins
- Cytokinins

A. INTRODUCTION
Plants detect changes in their environment and respond to them,
― but the responses are much slower than those m animal;
― this is because movements in a plant are brought about by changes in the plant's growth
B. DEFINITIONS:
o Ethene:
― A type of plant hormone which controls cell division and the ripening of fruits.
o Auxin:
― Chemically it is indole acetic acid (IAA).
― It is produced in the tips of actively growing roots and shoots and carried by active transport
to the regions of extension where it promotes or inhabits cell enlargement
o Gibberellins:
― A type of plant hormone which initiates seed germination.
o Phototropism:
― A plant’s directional growth response to light from one direction.
― Plant shoots are positively phototropic, as they grow towards light in order to allow the plant
to absorb more light to photosynthesise.
― Plant roots are negatively phototropic as they grow away from light.
o Gravitropism:
― A plant’s directional growth response to the direction of gravity ('gee' refers to the Earth)
― Also known as geotropism
― Shoots are negatively gravitropic, as they grow upwards against gravity, whereas roots are
positively gravitropic.
o Stimuli:
― Changes in the environment
o Unidirectional light:
― Light from one direction
o Uniform light:
― light shining on the a plant evenly from all directions
o Coleoptile:

― protective sheath that covers the first leaves of

a cereal seedling
― are easy to grow so they are often used to
investigate tropisms

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O’LEVEL BIOLOGY
ASSISTIVE NOTES
C. TROPISMS IN PLANTS:
Tropisms are growth movements in plants that occur in reaction to external stimuli.
― can be a positive or negative responses
― different parts of the plants can show different responses
― responses are controlled by plant hormones called auxins which:-
i. cause cell elongation
ii. are made in shoot or root tips
iii. move through the plant -
a. by diffusion and active transport (short distances),
b. via the phloem (longer distances)
I. IN SHOOTS
a. Phototropism
Most shoots show positive phototropism because they grow towards the light source.

o The plant is exposed to light on one side.

o Auxin, a growth hormone, moves to the shaded side of the shoot.
o Auxin stimulates cells to grow more here.
o This means the shoot bends towards the light.
o This is beneficial because the plant receives more light, meaning photosynthesis can occur at a
faster rate.
b. Geotropism
Most shoots show negative gravitropism as they grow away from gravity. If a shoot is horizontal:
o Auxin moves to the lower side.
o The cells of the shoot grow more on the side with most auxin, so it stimulates cells to grow more
here.
o This makes the shoot bend and grow away from the ground.
This is beneficial as light levels are likely to be higher further away from the ground.

II. IN ROOTS
a. Geotropism
Most roots show positive gravitropism as they grow towards gravity.

o If a root is horizontal:
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O’LEVEL BIOLOGY
ASSISTIVE NOTES
o Auxin moves to the lower side
o The cells of the root grow more on the side with less auxin,
o so cells on the upper side grow at a faster rate than those on the lower side
o This makes the root bend and grow downwards.
o When the auxin distribution becomes equal on both sides it grows straight in that directions.
This is beneficial as there are more likely to be increased levels of water and nutrients lower down, and it
provides stability for the plant.

D. INVESTIGATIONS AND DEMONSTRATIONS

I. Gravitropism In Pea Radicles
Procedure:
1. Soak about 20 peas in water for a day and then let them germinate in a vertical roll of moist
blotting-paper.
2. After 3 days, choose 12 seedlings with straight radicles and pin six of these to the turntable
of a clinostat so that the radicles are horizontal.
3. Pin another six seedlings to a cork that will fit in a wide mouthed jar. Leave the jar on its
side.
4. A clinostat is a clockwork or electric turntable, which rotates the seedlings slowly about four
times an hour. Although gravity is pulling sideways on their roots, it will pull equally on all
sides as they rotate.
5. Place the jar and the clinostat in the same conditions of lighting or leave them in darkness
for 2 days.

Result

The radicles in the clinostat will continue to grow horizontally but those in the jar will have
changed their direction of growth, to grow vertically downwards.
Interpretation
The stationary radicles have responded to the stimulus of one sided gravity by growing
towards it.
o The radicles are positively gravitropic.
The radicles in the clinostat are the controls.
o Rotation of the clinostat has allowed gravity to act on all sides equally and there is
no one-sided stimulus, even though the radicles were horizontal.
II. Phototropism In Shoots
Procedure
1. Select two potted seedlings, e.g. sunflower or runner bean, of similar size and water them
both.
2. Place one of them under a cardboard box with a window cut in one side so that light
reaches the shoot from one direction only.
3. Place the other plant in an identical situation but on a clinostat.
This will rotate the plant about four times per hour and expose each side of the shoot
equally to the source of light.
This is the control.

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O’LEVEL BIOLOGY
ASSISTIVE NOTES
Result

After 1 or 2 days, the stem of the plant with one-sided illumination has changed its direction
of growth and is growing towards the light.
The control shoot has continued to grow vertically.
Interpretation
The results suggest that the young shoot has responded to one-sided lighting by growing
towards the light.
o The shoot is said to be positively phototropic because it grows towards the direction
of the stimulus.
However, the results of an experiment with a single plant cannot be used to draw
conclusions that apply to green plants as a whole.
o To investigate phototropisms thoroughly, a large number of plants from a wide
variety of species would have to be used.
III. Region Of Response
Procedure
1. Grow pea seedlings in a vertical roll of blotting paper and select four with straight radicles
about 25 mm long.
2. Mark all the radicles with lines about 1 mm apart.

3. Use four strips of moist cotton wool to wedge two seedlings in each of two Petri dishes.
4. Leave the dishes on their sides for 2 days, one (A) with the radicles vertical and the other (B)
with the radicles horizontal.
Result

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 ALASKA TUTORIALS
O’LEVEL BIOLOGY
ASSISTIVE NOTES
The ink marks will be more widely spaced in the region of greatest extension.
o By comparing the seedlings in the two dishes, it can be seen that the region of
curvature in the B seedlings corresponds to the region of extension in the A
seedlings.
Interpretation
The response to the stimulus of one-sided gravity takes place in the region of extension.
o It does not necessarily mean that this is also the region which detects the stimulus.

IV. Region Of Sensitivity and Action of Auxin In Phototropism

Background information:
Wheat coleoptiles only take 2 or 3 days to grow and they show responses very quickly, so they are ideal
for tropism experiments.
The tip of the coleoptile, where it is expected that auxins would be produced, can be cut off without
killing the plant, but effectively removing the source of the auxin.
Procedure
1. Coleoptiles are treated as shown below and left for 3 days

Results
A: No growth of the coleoptile occurs and there is no bending.
B: The coleoptile grows taller and bends towards the light.
C: The coleoptile grows taller, but there is no bending.
D: The coleoptile grows taller and bends towards the light.
Interpretation
In A:
- the source of auxin has been removed
- auxin is needed to stimulate growth and stimulates a response to light
- It could also be argued that the tip provides cells for growth and this source of cells has
been removed.
In B:
- auxin is produced by the tip of the coleoptile
- It diffuses down the coleoptile and collects on the shaded side of the coleoptile (or is
destroyed by the light on the light side)
- Cells on the shaded side respond to the auxin by growing faster than on the light side
causing the coleoptile to grow towards the light
In C:
- auxin is produced by the tip and diffuses down,
- causing all cells on both sides of the coleoptile to grow at an equal rate,
- causing an increase in length
- the black paper prevents the light influencing the auxin, so there is no response to the
direction of light
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 ALASKA TUTORIALS
O’LEVEL BIOLOGY
ASSISTIVE NOTES
In D:
auxin is produced by the tip of the coleoptile
-
It diffuses into the agar block
-
When the agar block is replaced on the cut coleoptile, the auxin diffuses down from the agar
-
and collects on the shaded side of the coleoptile (or is destroyed by the light on the light
side).
- Cells on the shaded side respond to the auxin by growing faster than on the light side
causing the coleoptile to grow towards the light.
E. PLANT HORMONES:

Hormones move from the place they are made to where they are needed in order to produce the appropriate
response.
Humans can use plant hormones to alter plant growth.
They are used in areas such as agriculture and horticulture to:-
― increase yield,
― obtain desirable features
― lower costs
a. Ethene/ Ethylene
Ethene is involved in cell division and the ripening of fruits.
Uses:
1) As ethene controls ripening, it is used in the food industry.
o Fruit is picked when it is not ripe
o It is firm which means that during transport it gets less bruised and damaged
o When it is needed to be sold, it is exposed to ethene and warmer temperatures
o Ethene is involved in controlling cell division and stimulates enzymes that result in fruit
ripening.
o This reduces wastage as more fruit is suitable to be sold and it does not ripen too early
b. Gibberellins
Gibberellins are another plant hormone important to stimulate seed germination, flowering and
shedding of leaves
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ALASKA TUTORIALS
O’LEVEL BIOLOGY
ASSISTIVE NOTES
Uses:
1) Ending seed dormancy
o In the brewing industry, the germination rate of barley seeds is increased to make malt.
2) Promoting flowering
o Instead of requiring certain conditions such as longer days and low temperatures to flower,
applying this hormone allows it to flower in any conditions and with bigger flowers.
3) Increasing fruit size
o The seeds in fruit produce gibberellins to increase fruit size.
o This means that seedless fruit is generally smaller.
o Seedless fruit can be sprayed with gibberellins to increase their size.
c. Auxins
Auxins are a group of plant hormones involved in tropisms and other growth responses. Auxin reduces
cell expansion in roots but stimulates cell expansion in shoots
Uses:
1) As weed killers
o Many weeds are broad-leaved
o Weed killers, containing auxin, have been synthesised so they only affect broad-leaved
plants
o The increased amount of auxin causes the cells to grow too rapidly
o This results in the weed dying
2) As rooting powders
o Plants with desirable features are cloned to make more plants with the same feature
o One way to clone a plant is to take a cutting from the original plant
o Rooting powder containing auxin is applied to it and it is placed in the ground
o Roots grow and the new plant begins to grow very quickly
3) To promote growth in tissue culture
o Another way to clone a plant is to use tissue culture
o Cells from the plant are taken are placed in a growth medium containing lots of
o nutrients
o Hormones such as auxins are added
o The cells begin to form roots and shoots
d. Cytokinins
Provide resistance to high temperature, cold and diseases in some plants.
Help in:-
- flowering by substituting the photoperiodic requirements
- cell division
- cell enlargement
o like auxins and gibberellins, the kinetin may also induce cell enlargement
- concentration of apical dominance
o External application of cytokinins promotes the growth of lateral buds
- In some cases, they stimulate synthesis of several enzymes involved in photosynthesis.
Uses:
1) Cytokinins have been used for increasing shelf life of fruits,
2) quickening of root induction and producing efficient root system
3) increasing yield and oil contents of oil seeds like ground nut

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ALASKA TUTORIALS
O’LEVEL BIOLOGY
ASSISTIVE NOTES
SUMMARIES

 Shoots and roots that have their tips removed

will not respond to light or gravity because the
part that produces auxins has been cut off.
 Shoots that have their tips covered with opaque
material grow straight upwards when exposed
to one-sided light, because the auxin distribution
is not influenced by the light.

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