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Plant Systems

SNC2D

Text Pages 125-133

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The Root System

  • Part of the plant that typically grows below the ground
  • Anchors plant
  • Absorbs water and minerals from the soil
  • Stores food
  • Some are specialized from nutrient storage
    • Carrots
    • Parsnip
    • Radishes

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Shoot System

  • Part of the plant that is typically above the ground
  • Specialized for
    • Photosynthesis
    • To produce flowers
  • In flowering plants made up of three parts
    • Leaf
    • Flower
    • Stem

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The Leaf

  • Main photosynthetic structure of the plant
  • Carbon dioxide + Water → Glucose + Oxygen
  • Chloroplasts are responsible for photosynthesis
  • Some leaves are adapted for support, protection or reproduction

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The Flower

  • Specialized structure for sexual reproduction
  • May contain either male or female reproductive parts or both
  • Male parts produce pollen
  • Female parts produce eggs
  • After fertilization, the egg produces a seed and the female flower parts form a fruit

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Pollination

  • Flowers may be pollinated by
    • Wind, typically small flowers with lightweight seeds
    • Animals, typically showing or smelly flowers to attract pollinators

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The Stem

  • Provides support
  • Contains vascular tissue used in transport
  • Sometimes specialized for
    • Food storage
    • Photosynthesis
    • Protection
    • reproduction

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Cellular Specialization in Plants

  • Occurs in specific growth regions located at the tips of the roots and shoots
  • Cells actively divide in these regions
  • Once these cells mature some will specialize into different types of cells
  • These unspecialized cells are called meristematic cells and they are the plants equivalent of animals stem cells

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Meristems

  • The plants equivalent of stem cells
  • Plants can continue growing their entire life, unlike animals
  • In plant cells division occurs only in certain specialized areas called meristems
  • Meristems are located
    • Near the tip of the root
    • In the growing parts of the shoots
    • Beneath the outside layer of the stem of woody plants

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Types of Meristems

  • Atypical Meristems
    • Undifferentiated cells at the tips of roots and shoots
    • Allows the plants to grow longer
  • Lateral Meristems
    • Undifferentiated cells in the bark and roots of woody plants
    • Allow plant to grow wider

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Tissue Systems in Plants

  • 3 main types of tissues
  • Dermal Tissue
  • Vascular Tissue
  • Ground Tissue

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Dermal Tissue

  • Outermost layer of the plant
  • Specialized based on their function
    • Epidermal root cells have root hairs
    • Some leaf epidermis cells produce a layer of wax called a cuticle to prevent water loss
    • Some have hair like structures that release irritating chemicals and play a role in defence
    • Periderm tissue: forms bark on stems and large roots of woody plants

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Vascular Tissue

  • Transportation system that moves water, minerals, food that the plant has made and any other chemicals around the plant
  • Two types of vascular tissue
  • Xylem

- transports water and dissolved minerals from the roots

- at maturity cells are dead hallow tubes

2) Phloem

- transports the sugary solution made by photosynthesis to the other parts of the plant

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Ground Tissue

  • Filler between the dermal cells and the vascular tissue
  • Functions
    • Green parts of the plant undergo photosynthesis
    • Roots store carbohydrates
    • Stems provide storage and support

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Tissues Working Together

  • Leaves
    • Specialized for photosynthesis
  • Photosynthesis equation
    • Light energy + carbon dioxide + water → glucose + oxygen
  • Plant uses this for all of its energy requirements
  • Growth, building necessary chemicals, etc.

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Absorbing Light

  • Leaves are
    • Thin and wide providing greater surface area for absorption
    • Green containing a lot of chlorophyll which is the pigment within the chloroplasts that absorbs the light
  • Leaf Structure
    • Pallisade Mesophyll are located right under the top of the leaf and gets the most light energy
    • Spongy Mesophyll has large air spaces between cells and allows gases to move easily through the cell

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Stomata

  • Gases enter and exit the leaf through the special opening on the underside of the leaf called stomata

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Guard Cells

  • Specialized epidermal cells that are located on either side of the stomata
  • Usually on the lower surface of the leaf
  • Aid to prevent water loss
  • Aid to reduce the chance of infection

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Homework

  • finish specialization of cells worksheets 1 and 2
  • pg 60 #4, 5, 6
  • pg 128 #1-5
  • pg 133 # 1-6