Reviewer in Advance Biology (4th Quarter) Zone of Cell Division

I. Meristems  Where meristematic cells divide by mitosis

Meristems  Contains small and “boxy” cells that form a horizontal
line as it divides
 Areas or tissues where the cells of plants divide  Where you can find the apical meristem
 Composed of cells whose primary function is the
formation of new cells Zone of Elongation
 THEY DO NOT DIFFERENTIATE (yet)  Where cells elongated and grow
 They retain the ability to divide by mitosis (alam niyo na  Where the cells start to differentiate to other types of
yun hehe) – a trait that many differentiated cells lose cells
Two Kinds of Meristematic Growth in Plants  Where the three primary meristems are found

 Primary Growth – increase in length of a plant Zone of Cell Maturation

 Secondary Growth – increase in girth of a plant (only  Area where the cell matures and turns into the primary
gymnosperms and woody dicots have extensive tissues (vascular, ground, dermal)
secondary growth)  Area where you can find root hairs
A) Apical Meristems Apical Meristems Found in Shoots
 Primary growth only
 Areas at the tips of roots and shoots
 Contains meristematic cells which are small and “boxy”
in shape
 In plants belonging to the DICOT class, apical
meristems are located in BOTH the shoot tips and root
tips. A shoot is simply a young, leaf-bearing stem
 In plants belonging to the MONOCOT class, apical
meristems are located ONLY in the root tips
 Produces auxin which is used for cell elongation
Three Primary Meristems (Immature Tissues)
 Continue to develop and differentiate into mature
primary tissues
 Located in the area of cell elongation
a) Protoderm – young undifferentiated tissue of that eventually
Leaf Primordia/Rudimentary Leaf – developing leaves
turns into the epidermis
Bud Primordium/Lateral Buds – developing buds
b) Procambuim – meristematic tissue that eventually develops
into the vascular tissues (xylem and phloem)
c) Ground Meristem – meristematic tissue that gives rise to the
cortex, pith, and ground tissue
B) Intercalary Meristems II. Roots
 A type of meristem found in specific kinds of plants Root Structure and Function
(grass)
 Underground and out of sight
 Can be found at the base of grass leaves and nodes
 Generally grow downward due to
 Only in Monocot plants Gravitropism/Geotropism
 Anchor a plant securely in the soil (firm anchorage is
essential to a plant’s survival so that the stem remains
upright, enabling leaves to absorb light efficiently)
 Absorb water and dissolved minerals (nitrates,
phosphates, sulfates)
 Function of storage of carbohydrates such as starch
(amylose and amylopectin hehe)
Kinds of Roots
a) Taproot System
 Consists of one main root (develops from the radicle)
with many smaller lateral (branch) roots
 Characteristics of dicots and gymnosperms
 Examples (dandelion, carrot, radish)
 Taproot is better for anchorage because it is thicker and
it goes DEEPER (hehe), making it more firm and more
stable

C) Lateral Meristems b) Fibrous Root System

 Found only in Dicot woody plants  May develop from the embryonic root (radicle) which is
short-lived
 Areas that extend along the entire lengths of stems and
roots  Has several to many roots of the same size that
develop from the end of the stem
 Forms secondary tissues
 Only small lateral roots branch off these roots
 Originate from the base of the embryonic root
 Fibrous root is better for nutrient and water absorption
because it contains more root hairs and the since the
nutrients are in the topsoil, fibrous roots are more
shallow and can absorb more nutrients
 Monocots usually have this root system
 Examples include grass, onion and more
c) Adventitious Root System
 A kind of fibrous root system which does not arise from
preexisting roots
 Occur in unusual locations such as the stem
 Can be found in onions, crabgrass and other plants

Vascular Cambium – a layer of meristematic cells that forms a

thin continuous cylinder within the stem and root; it produces the
secondary xylem and secondary phloem
Cork Cambium – thin cylinder or irregular arrangement of
meristematic cells in the outer bark region; form the cork cells
and cork parenchyma cells
The Function of the Root Cap Distinguishable Features of the Dicot Root
 It is a protective thimble-like layer many cells thick that  Small stele
covers the delicate root apical meristem  Contains vascular cambium
 Contains parenchyma cells that slough off by the  Lacks a pith
frictional resistance of the soil particles  Has two, three, four or more extensions of xylems
 Replaced by the new cells formed by the apical called “xylem rays” or “xylem arms”
meristem  The phloem is located in patches between the xylem
 Contains lubricants (hehe) that reduce the friction as arms
the root goes downward
Distinguishable Features of the Monocot Root
 Contains statocytes which contain statoliths
(amyloplasts that signals the auxin flow in the root tips  Large stele
and roots) that detect gravity  Circular arrangement of xylem and phloem
 This response is what we call GRAVITROPISM or  Contains pith
GEOTROPISM  No secondary growth
The Function of the Root Hairs  No vascular cambium
 Wide cortex
 Short-lived, unicellular extension of epidermal cells near
the growing root tip
 Greatly raise the absorptive capacity of the root by
increasing the surface area in contact with the moist
soil
 Establish intimate contact with soil particles, which
allows absorption of much of the water and dissolved
materials
Root Parts
 Cortex – ground tissues which contain amyloplasts
(starch grains)
 Pericycle – tissue where the lateral roots grow/develop
 Phloem – transport of nutrients/food
 Xylem – transport of water
 Endodermis – controls the amounts of water and
dissolved minerals that enter the stele
 Casparian Strip – a band of suberin around the radial
and transverse cells of the endodermis that blocks Types of Roots
water when it is passing the apoplastic route  Prop Roots – adventitious roots develop from branches
 Apoplast – a continuum consisting of the or from a vertical stem and grow downward into the soil
interconnected, porous plant cell walls, along which for support
water moves freely  Storage Roots – roots such as carrots that have
 Symplast – a continuum consisting of the cytoplasm of extensive phloem to store carbohydrates (starch and
many plant cells, connected from one cell to the next by other sugars); usually biennials
plasmodesmata  Aerial Roots – roots found in epiphytes that specialize
 Pith – a ground tissue primarily for storage for moisture absorption; contains photosynthetic roots
and velamen, a spongy epidermis which primarily
functions for moisture absorption
 Pneumatophores – roots found in mangroves because
their roots are submerged in water; developed by
evolution; specialized aerial roots that grow upward
which contains internal air spaces for air absorption
 Contractile Roots – Often found on bulbs and corns that
contracts and pulls the plant to a desirable depth of in
the soil
Root Associations with Other Species
Mycorrhiza(e)
 A mutually beneficial association between a fungus and
a root that helps the plant absorb essential nutrients
 Permits the transfer of materials from the roots to the
fungus
 Essential materials such as phosphorus move from the
fungus to the roots of the host plant
 Ectomycorrhizae – fungal mycelium encircles the root
like a sheath
 Endomycorrhizae – the fungus penetrates the root cells
 If this is not present, neither the fungus nor the root
survives

Rhizobia
 Nitrogen-fixing bacteria that forms associations with the
roots of leguminous plants
 Nodules – swellings of the root of a leguminous plant
which beneficial Rhizobium live
 The bacteria receive the products of photosynthesis
from the plants while helping the plant meet its nitrogen
requirements by producing ammonia (NH3)
III. Stems
 Support leaves and reproductive structures (the upright
position of most stems and the arrangement of leaves
on them enable each leaf to absorb maximum light for
photosynthesis)
Herbaceous Stems
 Provide internal transport (conduct water and dissolved
minerals via xylem and phloem) Parts of a Dicot Stem
 Produce new living tissue, forming buds that develop  Epidermis – outer covering that provides protection
into stems  Cuticle – waxy layer that reduces water loss from the
Parts of a Woody Twig stem surface
 Cortex – contains ground tissues
Buds – an undeveloped shoot that contains an embryonic
meristem  Vessel Elements – xylem tissues which conduct water
in the stem; dead cells to be exact (parang ako patay
 Terminal – tips of stems; when it is dormant, it is na patay sayo joke)
covered and protected by an outer protective layer of  Vascular Cambium – meristematic cells that produce
bud scales (modified leaves) vascular tissues
 Axillary/Lateral – found in the axils (upper angles  Vascular Bundles – vascular tissues that are arranged
between leaves and the stem to which they are in a circle
attached)  Sieve Tube Elements – phloem tissues that contain
 Bud Scale Scars – form when bud scales fall off due to sieve tubes and sieve plates which are used to
the resume of stem growth transport food
Node – the area on a stem where one or more leaves is  Companion Cell – phloem tissue that assists in the
attached functioning of the sieve-tube elements
 Phloem Fiber Cap – found in certain other herbaceous
 Internode – the area on a stem between two successive dicot stems, it functions to help strengthen the stem
nodes  Pith – A ground tissue which functions primarily for
 Leaf Scar – shows where a leaf was attached on the storage; the areas of parenchyma between the vascular
stem bundles are called pith rays
 Bundle Scars – formed when the vascular tissue extend
from the stem out into the leaf
Lenticels – sites of loosely arranged cells that allow gas
exchange; look like tiny marks, or specs on the bark of a twig
Petiole – a slender stem that supports the blade of a leaf
 Stems of Woody Plants
Vascular Cambium – lateral meristem that produces secondary
xylem (wood) and secondary phloem (inner bark)
Cork Cambium – lateral meristem that produces the periderm
 Cork Cells (suberized)
 Cork Parenchyma (Phelloderm)
 Periderm – functions as replacement for the epidermis

Parts of a Monocot Stem

 Covered with a waxy cuticle
 Mostly composed of ground tissues
 Vascular Bundles are scattered throughout the stem
 Bundle Sheath – sclerenchyma cells that encloses the
vascular bundle
 DO NOT POSSESS LATERAL MERISTEMS
 Air spaces (lacuna) can be found in the vascular bundle

Some Notable Terms

 Dendrochronology – the study of dating events and
variations in environment by comparative study of
growth rings in trees and aged wood
 Gibberellin – growth regulating plant hormone that
promotes cell elongation in stems

NOTES:
 Summary lang ito ng mga pinag-aralan natin kay
mommy fabs (hehe joke lang ma’am) kaya wag lang
aasa dito
 Maraming sources ang pwede niyong pagkunan and do
not just stick to a reviewer (kulang kasi ito haha)