Movement

Mechanisms and Roles

Movement in Plants and Animals

 Syllabus Objectives

 Use examples to distinguish between growth

movement in plants and movements in animals

 Discuss the importance of locomotion in animals

Movement in Plants and Animals

 Movement is a characteristic of all living

organisms
 It is a reaction to external or environmental
stimuli
 It involves either part of the organism or the
entire organism (as in most animals)
 The direction of the stimuli determines the
direction of the response
Movement in Plants and Animals cont’d

 Locomotion is the movement of the entire

organism from one place to another

 QUESTION
 Based on the definition of locomotion, do plants and
animals exhibit locomotion?
Movement in Plants and Animals cont’d

 Part movement in plants is a result of growth

as a response to various stimuli.

 QUESTION
 Can you think of what stimuli plants respond to?

 Growth responses in plants are usually slow

and are irreversible
Movement in Plants and Animals cont’d

 Movement in animals is usually faster than

growth in plants.
 Movement in animals takes place in
response to a stimulus (much like growth
movement in plants)
 These movements are however reversible
 The organism or its part can return to its original
position when the stimulus is removed
Movement in Plants and Animals cont’d

 Movement is important for the survival of all

organisms

 QUESTION
 List the reasons why movement is important to animals

 Finding food, finding a mate, escaping from

predators, finding a more favourable environment
 These responses ensure that animals survive long
enough to produce new offspring
External Factors and Plant
Movement
 Syllabus Objective

 Perform simple investigations to show how

external factors affect plant movement
External Factors and Plant
Movement
 Growing plants respond to stimuli such as
light and gravity.
 Movement towards a stimulus is a positive
response
 Movement away from a stimulus is a negative
response
 If a stimulus is applied from one direction, the
response is usually in one direction away
from or toward the direction of the stimulus
External Factors and Plant Movement
cont’d
 The stimulus is received by the tip of the
shoot or root
 The growth response takes place just behind
the tip
 E.g. plant shoots will grow toward a light source.
External Factors and Plant Movement
cont’d
 Plant hormones called auxins are made at
the tips of roots and shoots
 Auxins diffuse downwards and away from the
light source
 Cells in the region where auxins accumulate
grow faster than other cells causing bending
in that region
External Factors and Plant Movement
cont’d
 Different parts of the same plant may
respond differently to the same stimulus
 Shoots respond positively to light
 Roots respond negatively to light

 QUESTION
 Why would shoots respond to light positively?
 Why would roots respond to light negatively?
External Factors and Plant Movement
cont’d
 For Shoots
 Light is essential for photosynthesis
 Light is important for chlorophyll formation

 For Roots
 Light is not essential to root development or
growth
External Factors and Plant Movement
cont’d
 Gravity
 Shoots respond negatively to gravity
 Roots respond positively to gravity
 This response ensures that the root becomes firmly
anchored in the soil and is able to obtain water and
nutrients