Chapter 39.ppt

Response to stimuli Plants, being rooted to the ground must respond to whatever environmental change comes their way For example, the bending of a grass seedling toward light begins with the plant sensing the direction, quantity, and color of the light Signal Transduction stimulus ? ? ? response Signal transduction pathways link signal reception to response Plants have cellular receptors to detect important changes in their environment For a stimulus to elicit a response the cell must have an appropriate receptor Upon receipt of the stimulus the receptor starts a series of biochemical steps that lead to a response Potato Example A potato left growing in darkness will produce shoots that do not appear healthy, and lack elongated roots These are morphological adaptations for growing in darkness are referred to as etiolation After the potato is exposed to light, the plant undergoes changes called de-etiolation, (greening) in which shoots and roots grow normally Reception … Transduction … Response Greening…an example of signal transduction Tropisms Plant Hormones and Tropisms Hormones: Chemical signals that coordinate growth, development, and responses to stimuli The discovery of plant hormones came from work with tropisms Any growth response that results in curvatures of whole plant organs toward or away from a stimulus is called a tropism Tropisms are often caused by hormones Phototropism Darwin’s experiments with Phototropisms Went’s experiment In 1926, Frits Went Plant Hormones Plant hormones In general, hormones control plant growth and development By affecting the division, elongation, and differentiation of cells Plant hormones are produced in very low concentrations But a minute amount can have a profound effect on the growth and development of a plant organ A Survey of Plant Hormones Auxin The term auxin is used for any chemical substance that promotes cell elongation in different target tissues Auxin is involved in the formation and branching of roots (La