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BIOLOGY 5090 LESSON NOTES

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11.8. TROPIC AND TAXIC RESPONSES

Tropic response is a growth movement by plants in response to stimuli. E.g. water,

gravity, light

The response is said to be positive if the growth movement is towards the stimulus
and a negative response if growth movement is away from the stimulus.

Growth movement is made possible by the growth hormone called auxins.

There are many types of tropic responses, they include:

Phototropism, Geotropism, Chemotropism, Thigmotropism, Thermotropism and Rheotropism
Phototropism

This is the growth movement of a plant in

response to light coming from one
direction.

Stem are positively phototropic while

roots are negatively phototropic.

Mechanism of phototropism
• The cells on the darker side of the
stem grow faster than the cells
receiving light causing it to bend due
to accumulation of auxin on the dark
side.

Geotropism

This is a growth response towards the force of

gravity.

Roots are positively geotropic while stems are

negatively geotropic.
 Mechanism of geotropism

•horizontally
When a plant is placed
the auxin moves to
the lower side by the force of
gravity.

•growShoots faster
are stimulated to
by high
concentration of auxin while in
the roots the high concentration
of auxin on the lower side
reduces growth.

Thigmotropism

This is the growth response to touch.

It is observed in tendrils of climbing plants.

Tendrils attaching to an object by

thigmotropism providing mechanical support

•touched
The Venus flytrap closes its leaf quickly when
by an insect capturing it.

Chemotropism

This is a growth response to unilateral source of chemical

substance.

For example, pollen tubes of germinating pollen grow

through the hollow style towards the ovule that has
chemical substance.
 Thermotropism

This is the growth in response to unilateral source of heat.

This is shown by sunflower that

orients itself towards the
direction of the rising of the sun.

• Hydrotropism Hydrotropism is the growth

movement in response to unilateral
source of water current.

Importance of tropism

 Phototropism exposes the leaves to trap maximum sunlight for photosynthesis.

 Thigmotropism enables plants with weak stems to obtain mechanical support.

Geotropism enables roots to grow deeper into the ground and hence offer
anchorage.

 Chemotropism enables pollen tubes to grow to facilitate fertilization.

 Hydrotropism enables roots of the plant to search for water.

The Role of Auxins in Tropisms

Tropisms in plants are controlled by growth substances called auxins that are
produced by the tips of shoots and roots. Auxins promote growth in shoots while
they inhibit growth in roots.

Experimental Evidence to Show that Auxins Promote Growth of Shoots

In one experiment, the tips of maize coleoptiles were cut off. After a few days, the
shoots stopped growing because of the absence of auxins. In another experiment, a
piece of mica was placed between the cut tip and the rest of the coleoptile and growth
stopped after a few days because mica is impermeable to auxins. In yet another
experiment, an agar block was placed between a cut tip and the rest of the coleoptile
and the tip continued growing because auxins are able to diffuse from the cut tip to
the rest of the coleoptile through the agar block. The results of these experiments are
illustrated in the following diagrams:

Homework:

Suggest what would happen if the tips of the coleoptiles are covered with aluminium
foil (which is opaque) and the coleoptiles are exposed to unilateral light.

The Role of Auxins in Phototropism

When a plant shoot is exposed to diffuse light (light from all directions), the auxins
are evenly/uniformly distributed all round the shoot tip. As a result, growth is
uniform all round the shoot tip, causing the shoot to grow straight. But when a plant
shoot is exposed to unilateral light (light from one direction), the auxins are more
concentrated on the darker side than the illuminated side. Since auxins promote
growth of in shoots, growth is faster on the darker side than the illuminated side,
causing the shoot to grow towards the light. This is illustrated in the following
diagrams:
 The Role of Auxins in Geotropism

When germinating bean seeds are placed on moist cotton wool in a dark place, with
their plumules and radicles horizontal, the following observations are made after
several days:

• The plumules grow away from gravity

• The radicles grow towards gravity

The above observation may be explained as follows:

• Gravity pulls the auxins to the lower side of the radicle and plumule; hence
the concentration of auxins is higher on the lower sides than the upper sides.
• In the plumule, growth is faster on the lower side than the upper side, causing
it to grow upwards (away from gravity)
• In the radicle, growth is faster on the upper side than the lower side, causing
it to grow downwards (towards gravity)

Taxic responses

A taxic response involves movement of the entire organism in response to a stimulus.

The taxic response can either be positive if the movement is towards the stimulus or
negative if the movement is away from the stimulus.

Taxic responses include: Phototaxis, Chemotaxis, Aerotaxis Thermotaxis and Rheotaxis.

Phototaxis

Phototaxis is the response to light

intensity.
Earthworms, cockroaches and
woodlice show negative phototaxis
by moving away from light.
They keep away from direct sunlight
which can kill them by excessive
water loss by cuticular transpiration.
In shade parts, they are also less likely
to be spotted by predators like birds.

Chemotaxis

Chemotaxis is the response to changes in

concentration of chemicals.
Sperm cells show positive chemotaxis by
moving toward an ovum. This facilitates
fertilization. Mosquitoes show negative
chemotaxis by flying away from mosquito
repellants
Aerotaxis
Aerotaxis is a response to variation in
oxygen concentration.
Aerobic bacteria move towards high
oxygen concentration which enables
them to respire and produce their own
energy for survival.

Themotaxis

Thermotaxis is the response to

temperature.
Cats in our homes rest near a source of heat
or curl in a human beings lap to get some
warmth.

Rheotaxis

Rheotaxis is a response to water or air

currents.
Fish mostly swim against water currents.

Geotataxis
Geotaxis is the response to pull of gravity. Some animals show positive geotaxis by
moving downwards while others show negative geotaxis by moving upwards.

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