WRITTEN REPORT

REPORTERS:
Arnileth A. Ancheta
Jonathan Jay O. Iña
OBJECTIVES:
Describe the structure and function of plant organs and chemicals used in nervous control, chemical
control, and sensory control and motor mechanisms (plant responses to stimuli)

CONCEPTS TO BE DISCUSSED:
STRUCTURE AND FUNCTION OF PLANT ORGANS
Structure of a plant
Plants are made up of many cells.
Groups of similar cells work together in a tissue. Each tissue has its job to do. (REMOVE)

CHEMICAL AND NERVOUS CONTROL OF PLANTS

Chemical and nervous control of plants

 Plants may lack brains, but they have a nervous system, of sorts.
 Plants cannot think or remember. These borrowed terms do not accurately describe how
plants function (WHAT DO YOU MEAN?).
 Like most organisms, plants can sense the world around them, process information from their
environment, and respond to this information by altering their growth and development.
(HOW?)
 In fact, plants respond to changes in their environment in ways that many would find
surprisingly sophisticated, although botanists have known of these abilities for centuries.

PLANT RESPONSE (OK):

 All living things respond to environmental stimuli primarily to survive.
 Plants which are sensible (stationary) exhibit responses to stimuli such as light, water, touch
and wind.
 Responses are important to get a needed nutrient, survive a certain condition (such as
extreme weather changes) or defend itself from predators and to produce.

PLANT RESPONSE TO EXTERNAL STIMULI

 Plants respond to changes in their environments.

 These responses (the reply to the change in the environment) vary depending on the specific
environmental stimulus (a change in the environment that causes a response or a reaction).
TEMPERATURE:

 Temperature, along with day length, can be used to manipulate flowering.

 Temperature alone can also influence flowering in some plants.
 Many plants require a daily change of temperature between night and day to ensure
photosynthesis and respiration reactions occur at optimal temperatures which will result in
maximum plant growth.

TROPISM
Is a biological mechanism that enables plant to move toward (positive tropism) or against (negative
tropism) the source of a stimulus.
 The roots grow underground because they usually move toward the source of water and the
center of gravity.
 Leaves usually grow above ground where they absorb sunlight.

3 MAIN TYPES OF TOPISM

 Phototropism - Movements of plants toward light to maximize amount of sun for
photosynthesis to make their food.
 Gravitropism - Movements of plants in response to gravity
 Positive is toward gravity (roots)
 Negative is away from gravity (shoot: stems and leaves)
 Hydrotropism - Movements by plants towards water.

PLANT HORMONES
- Regulate plant growth, development, reproductive processes, longevity, and death.

1. Auxin - Auxins promote stem elongation, inhibit growth of lateral buds (maintains apical
dominance). They are produced in the stem, buds, and root tips
2. Gibberellins - Gibberellins promote stem elongation. They are not produced in stem tip.
3. Cytokinins - Cytokinins promote cell division. They are produced in growing areas, such as
meristems at tip of the shoot.
4. Abscisic Acid- Abscisic Acid promotes seed dormancy by inhibiting cell growth. It is also
involved in opening and closing of stomata as leaves wilt
5. Ethylene - Ethylene is a gas produced by ripe fruits. Ethylene is used to ripen crops at the
same time.
6. Brassinosteroids - roup of steroid hormones, essentially important for plant development and
growth. BR signaling functions to promote cell expansion and cell division, and plays a role in
etiolation and reproduction.

STIMULUS AND RESPONSE

 STIMULUS - anything in the environment (light, water, heat, pressure, wind, touch, etc) that
triggers a physiological change in an organism.

 RESPONSE - the corresponding reaction to an environmental stimulus. In the long run, a

series of responses will enable an organism to adapt and survive.

PLANTS RESPONSE TO DANGER (HOW DO THEY PROTECT THEMSELVES?)

 Plants may lack eyes and ears, but they can still see, hear, smell and respond to
environmental cues and dangers, a new study reveals. (HOW COME? DO YOU HAVE
ANY REFERENCES FOR THIS STATEMENT? IF YOU HAVE, CITE IT HERE)
 They play dead.
Like Mimosa pudica, when the plant is moved in any way, it will fold its leaves inward and
droop down in order to appear dead and therefore unpalatable. (DISCUSS HOW AND
WHY MAKAHIYA FOLDS)
 They sting.
Urtica dioica, or common nettle, is a species of flowering plant defined by its trichomes,
AKA stinging hairs. These hollow hairs on the plant's leaves and stems act like needles
when something comes too close. Stinging hairs inject histamine and other chemicals to
induce a searing stinging sensation.
 They form a partnership with ants or some insects.
Vachellia cornigera, or Bullhorn Acacia trees, get aggressive ants to do their dirty work for
them. In this relationship—a prime example of what's known in nature as commensalism—
both parties win. The ants protect the trees against anything that poses a threat, and the
ants get both a place to live and food to eat in return.
 They warn one another when danger is nearby.
Plants can communicate without verbal cues. Instead of using sound, they emit volatile
organic compounds, or VOCs, into the air to warn neighboring plants that a threat is
nearby.
 They choke their predators.
Plants like apples, spinach, and lima beans produce hydrogen cyanide compounds, which
attach to either sugar or fat molecules via a process called cyanogenesis. They remain
stored in the plant until they are needed, i.e. when insects try to eat them. At that point, the
plants release the hydrogen cyanide, which makes the insects choke until they eventually
stop breathing. Nature is brutal.
 They pretend to be rocks.
Lithops, or pebble plants, take advantage of their surroundings in order to stay safe.
Because these succulents look like rocks, they are able to blend in with actual stones and
avoid beating eaten.
 They grow waxy coatings that make them hard to eat.
That waxy covering that you feel on desert plants doesn't just hold moisture in. This layer
also is difficult for insects to eat, thus protecting the plants from being destroyed.
PLANTS SENSE THEIR ENVIRONMENT?
 Plants can detect various wavelengths and use colors to tell them what the environment is like.
When a plant grows in the shadow of another, it will send a shoot straight up towards the light
source. It has also been shown that plants know when it is day and when it is night. Leaf pores
on plants open up to allow photosynthesis during the daytime and close at night to reduce water
loss.

 Plants also respond to ultraviolet light by producing a substance that is essentially a sunscreen

so that they do not get sunburned. Plants can sense weather changes and temperatures as
well.
 Plants have specific regulators, plant hormones, minerals and ions that are involved in cell
signaling and are important in environmental sensing. In fact, without these, the plants will not
grow properly.

PLANTS RESPONSE TO ENVIRONMENTAL STIMULUS

 The word “horticulturist” comes from the Latin words for garden (hortus) and culture (cultura).
This career has been revolutionized by progress made in the understanding of plant responses
to environmental stimuli. 
 Environmental stimuli that indicate changing seasons trigger other responses. 
 Tropism
Positive Tropism- Growth towards a stimulus
Negative Tropism- Growth away a stimulus
 Phototropism
Positive Phototropism- shoots growing towards a light
Negative Phototropism- roots grow away from light
 Thigmatropism- response of a plant to touch
Positive Thigmatropism- growth of vine tendrils toward and around a support
Negative thigmatropism- roots grow away from objects in the soil
 Gravitropism- A growth response to gravity
Positive gravitropism- growth of the roots downward, toward the earth
Negative gravitropism- growth of the plant stem upward, away from the earth
 circadian response- reaction to light and dark cycles, or seasonal changes
 long-day plants- plants that require long days and short nights to flower
 plant hormones- Chemical messengers that affect a plant's ability to respond to it's
environment
 short-day plants- plants that bloom when nights are long and days are short
 day-neutral plants- plants whose flowering cycle is not sensitive to periods of light and dark