10th January 2022

Plant Hormones
Stimulus:

Plants are Sensitive:

● When a seed falls it needs to grow towards the things it will need to survive
● Roots are sensitive to gravity and water, so will grow down into the soil. This anchors the
plant and provides water and minerals
● Shoots are sensitive to gravity and light, so will grow up. This gives the plant light for
photosynthesis
● Whichever way a seed lands, it will grow the right way up

Plant Responses:
● Plant responses are called tropisms
● Responses to light are called phototropisms
● Responses to gravity are called gravitropisms (or sometimes geotropisms)
● These responses are controlled by uneven distribution of a hormone called auxin

Phototropism:
● A plant’s response to light

● Auxin moves away from light to the opposite side of the shoot
● Auxin causes cells in the unlit side to grow more
● The shoot bends towards the light
Gravitropism:
● A plant’s response to gravity

● Auxin affects roots and shoots differently

● Auxin will make shoot cells grow more quickly, so the shoot grows up
● Auxin will inhibit root cell growth, so the shoots grow down