TROPISMS
TROPISMS
are responses by part of a plant
towards or away from a stimulus
coming from one direction
the movement is always
a growth movement
Tropic responses can be:
Positive – Negative –
if growth is towards if growth is away from the
the stimulus stimulus
Growth
Growth Gravity
Phototropism
is a growth Light
response to light
Geotropism
is a growth response
to gravity
A shoot is:
POSITIVELY
NEGATIVELY
PHOTOTROPIC
GEOTROPIC
Advantages of a shoot growing:
Towards light:
To trap more light for photosynthesis
Away from gravity:
shoot of a germinating seed grows out of
the soil
more chances for pollination & seed
dispersal
A root is:
POSITIVELY GEOTROPIC
NEGATIVELY PHOTOTROPIC
I am growing
towards gravity,
but where is the
water????
Advantages of a root growing towards
gravity:
To anchor the plant
To search for water
To ensure that the root of a
germinating seed always grows
downwards, whatever, the position
of the seed in the soil
Study the pictures below and then complete
the table by putting a plus (+) if the shoot or
root grows towards the stimulus and a minus
(-) if it grows away from it.
Stimulus
Light Gravity
Shoot
Root
Study the pictures below and then complete
the table by putting a plus (+) if the shoot or
root grows towards the stimulus and a minus
(-) if it grows away from it.
Stimulus
Light Gravity
Shoot + -
Root - +
ANSWER THE FOLLOWING
Study the diagrams. What would you expect to
happen and why.
The shoot with the covered tip grows (straight
up / towards light) because it (can sense light /
cannot sense light).
Study the diagrams. What would you expect to
happen and why.
The shoot with the covered tip grows (straight
up / towards light) because it (can sense light /
cannot sense light).
The shoot with the exposed tip grows (straight
up / towards light) because it (can sense light /
cannot sense light).
The shoot with the exposed tip grows (straight
up / towards light) because it (can sense light /
cannot sense light).
Look at the diagrams below. What does this
experiment tell you about the tip of the shoot
and the part it plays in growth?
Tip produces chemicals for growth.
Look at the diagrams below. How would you
explain the results of this experiment?
Bending resulted due to unequal amount of
chemical . Light affects distribution of chemical.
AUXINS
Auxins
• are plant hormones, or growth regulating
chemicals produced in the root and shoot tips
that affect growth
What is the effect of auxins on plant cells?
Cells absorb water and elongate.
Three regions of a root tip
Cell
differentiation
region
[Cells become specialised]
Cell elongation
region
Cell division region
Which region does auxin affect?
Cell differentiation region
(cells change their shape;
no effect by auxin)
Cell elongation region
(auxin makes cells absorb water)
Cell division region
(root tip that makes auxin)
Explain why:
markings have
moved away from
each other ONLY in
the lower region.
Cell elongation
region
A shoot growing in even illumination grows
straight up. Why?
auxin
Cells on both sides of the
stem elongate equally.
A shoot growing in one-sided illumination.
A shoot growing in one-sided illumination
grows towards light. How is it possible?
Cells on the two
sides of the stem
GROW UNEQUALLY!!
Remember: UNEQUAL growth of stem sides results
in BENDING of stem
Shaded side of stem: Light
cells elongate
Lighted side:
normal size of cells
Describe how a shoot bends towards
one-sided illumination.
shoot tip and
Auxins are produced at the ___________
diffuse down the stem.
shaded side of
More auxin collects on the ____________
the stem.
Auxins cause the cells to absorb water and so
elongate in the cell elongation region.
shaded side grows more than the
Thus the ___________
lighted one.
This results in bending of the stem towards light.
Auxins sometimes stop growth
1.
Apical bud produces auxin.
2. Auxin passes down the stem
3. Lateral buds do not grow into
side branches.
So the plant grows tall and straight.
If the top is cut off from the
plant:
flow of auxin stops
side branches will grow
out
Sometimes gardeners cut the tops off plants to
make them more bushy
QUESTION: MAY, 2009
Give a biological explanation for each of the
following statements:
cutting off the tip of a shoot will stop the shoot
from getting taller but it will increase
bushiness; (3)
Cutting off the tip of a
shoot removes the source
of auxin.
Lack of auxin stimulates
lateral buds to develop and
side branches grow.
EXPERIMENTS TO SHOW:
1. Geotropism in a shoot All make
2. Geotropism in pea radicles use of an
apparatus
3. Phototropism in oat coleoptiles
called:
4. Phototropism in a shoot
clinostat
A motor that rotates
slowly – 4 times per hour
A clinostat
makes factors uniform (evenly distributed)
for control experiments
contains a cork disc which can be set to
rotate in a vertical or horizontal plane by a
motor
AIM: To show geotropism in a plant shoot.
APPARATUS: The apparatus was
left for 3 days.
CONTROL
Give a precaution for this experiment.
Even illumination.
Why did the shoot attached to the clinostat
grow horizontally ?
As shoot rotated, gravity acted on all sides.
No unilateral stimulus to respond to.
AIM: To show geotropism in pea radicles.
APPARATUS:
The apparatus was left for 3 days.
QUESTION: MAY, 2005
A biology student wanted to test whether the
position in which seeds are placed in the soil
affects the direction of shoot and root growth.
Design a simple experiment which the student
can use to carry out this investigation.(5)
Seeds of the same type are placed at
different orientations in a single container.
A similar container is set up as a replicate.
Left in darkness for a few days.
Radicles are observed.
QUESTION: MAY, 2005
When growing plants from cuttings, farmers
usually dip the cutting into Rooting Hormone
powder before planting it in the soil. Briefly
explain how this increases the chances of
successful plant growth. (2)
Roots are stimulated to form.
Thus plant can absorb more
water and ions for growth due
to more root hairs present.
AIM: To show phototropism in oat coleoptiles.
APPARATUS:
METHOD:
1. Thirty oat grains were soaked in water for 1 day.
2. Ten grains were placed in each of three small pots of
compost and left to germinate.
3. When grown to a height of 1cm, they were treated as
follows:
One set was covered with a large box, excluding light;
Another set was covered with a box with a slit at the
side, allowing one-sided illumination;
The control was left in the light.
4. The pots were left at room temperature for a few days.
RESULT:
In the dark: coleoptiles were yellow, straight and very long.
In one-sided illumination: coleoptiles bent towards the light.
In the light: coleoptiles were green, straight and shorter than
those in the dark.
CONCLUSION:
The coleoptiles responded to the stimulus of one-sided
illumination by growing towards it. Coleoptiles are positively
phototropic.
Light is needed for chlorophyll to form.
AIM: To show phototropism in a shoot.
APPARATUS:
A B
unilateral
unilateral
light
light
light-proof clinostat
box
A B
unilateral unilateral
light light
light-proof clinostat
box
What has happened to the shoots of plants A and B ?
The shoots in pot A respond by growing towards the
light source. The shoot in pot B do not show any
curvature but grow vertically upwards...
A B
unilateral unilateral
light light
light-proof clinostat
box
What is the effect of the clinostat on the shoot of plant
B?
The revolving clinostat cancel out the effect of
unilateral light on the shoot of plant B.
VIEW THE ACTUAL EXPERIMENT
IN THE NEXT
3 SLIDES
Question: MAY, 2006
5. The experiment shows the effect of a stimulus
on the growth of a root and a shoot. The seedlings
were kept in the dark throughout the experiment.
a) Continue the diagram to show the direction of growth of the
shoot and root in:
i) the stationary
ii) rotating clinostat. (4)
b) What type of stimulus response is exhibited by the
seedlings? (1)
Geotropism.
c) Why were the seedlings kept in the dark? (2)
Any changes observed would be due to gravity.
d) Name the substance produced by the plant which
brings about the growth changes. (1)
Auxin
e) This experiment was investigated in an orbiting
spacecraft where weightlessness is observed.
Predict the results obtained in this situation. (1)
Grow in all directions.
Under which condition (light/dark) was each
seedling of bean grown?
Grown in the Grown in the
light dark
dark
What is the advantage of a
longer stem in seedlings
grown in the dark?
light
Four differences between a seedling
growing in the light & another in the dark.
In the light In the dark
1. Short, thick stem long, thin stem
2. Green shoot yellow shoot
Four differences between a seedling
growing in the light & another in the dark.
In the light In the dark
3. Broad leaves small leaves
4. Short internode long internode
QUESTION: MAY, 2009
Give a biological explanation for each of the
following statements:
the internodes of a shoot growing in the dark
are longer than the internodes of a shoot
growing in the light; (3)
Differences in the response shown by:
A shoot in unilateral light A hand touching a hot
object
Differences in the response shown by:
A shoot in unilateral light A hand touching a hot
object
1. Response is positive. 1. Response is negative
2. Slow response. 2. Rapid response
3. Response involves 3. No growth involved
growth.
4. Response does not 4. Response involves
involve muscles and muscles and nerves.
nerves.
EXPERIMENTS USING OAT
COLEOPTILES
A Coleoptile is a :
hollow, cylindrical sheath that surrounds the
primary leaf of a germinating monocot seed
Coleoptile First leaf
Experiments
on Oat Coleoptiles
cut & replaced tip
dark box
few days later
decapitated no growth grows
Conclusion :
The tip is responsible for growth
Experiments
on Oat Coleoptiles
unilateral
light
few days later
black covers
Conclusion :
the tip is the place responsible for bending
Experiments
on Oat Coleoptiles
dark box
agar plate
few days later
Conclusion :
the head must have produced a diffusible
chemical substance which stimulates growth
Experiments
on Oat Coleoptiles
bending directions
bending directions
mica
plate
Can the explanation
the tip is put aside
still work ?
Explanation of results :
The side with the tip has a higher concentration of that particular
chemical, the growth rate is faster than the other side
Light at
THE END
of the tunnel!!
