Chemical Coordination in Plant

Multiple Choice Type

(Select the most appropriate option in each case)

Question 1

A plant hormone related with inhibition of senescence is

1. Ethylene
2. ABA
3. Bromic acid
4. GA ✓

Question 2

Apical dominance phenomenon is caused by

1. Auxins ✓
2. GA
3. Cytokinins
4. ABA

Question 3

Which of the following hormones regulate stomatal closure?

1. Auxins
2. GA
3. ABA ✓
4. Cytokinin

Question 4

Auxins are abundantly produced in

1. base of the root

2. base of the shoot
3. shoot
4. meristematic region of the shoot ✓

Question 5

A higher concentration of ethylene is found in

1. green banana
2. ripe banana ✓
3. fresh potato tuber
4. green apple
Question 6

Common gibberellin is

1. GA1
2. GA2
3. GA3 ✓
4. GA7

Question 7

Stems are

1. positively geotropic and negatively phototropic

2. positively geotropic and positively phototropic
3. negatively geotropic and positively phototropic ✓
4. negatively phototropic and negatively geotropic

Question 8

In tropic movements, plant parts move

1. away from the stimulus

2. towards the stimulus
3. either towards or away from the stimulus ✓
4. only towards water

Short Answer Type

Question 1

Match the items in column A with those of column B.

Column A Column B

(a) Auxin (i) apical dominance

(b) Gibberellin (iv) internodal elongation

(c) Cytokinin (ii) cell division

(d) Ethylene (iii) fruit ripening

Question 2

Differentiate between:

(a) Difference between thigmotropism and geotropism

 Thigmotropism Geotropism

Directional growth
Directional growth movement of a
movement of a plant
plant part in response to the touch of
part in response to
an object.
gravity.

Example — Plants such as sweet

peas, Cuscuta and vines have Example — Growth
tendrils which coil around other of roots of plants in
plants in response to one sided downward direction.
contact or touch.

(b) Difference between positive and negative tropism

Positive tropism Negative tropism

Movement of plant part Movement of plant part

towards the direction of the against the direction of the
stimulus is called positive stimulus is called negative
tropism. tropism.

Example — Shoots show Example — Roots show

positive phototropism and negative phototropism and
grow in the direction of grow against the direction of
sunlight. sunlight.

(c) Difference between stimulus and response

Stimulus Response

Change in the internal or

Resulting action or movement
external environment of an
caused by the stimulus is
organism is called a
called a response.
stimulus.

Example — In phototropism,
Example — In
the bending of the shoot is the
phototropism, sunlight is
response to the stimulus of
the stimulus.
sunlight.

(d) Difference between phototropism and chemotropism

Phototropism Chemotropism

It is the phenomenon of growth

It means movement
of plant organs in response to
towards light.
chemicals.
 Phototropism Chemotropism

Example — Growth of Example — Growth of pollen

shoots of plants in upward tube towards female
direction. gametophyte.

Question 3

How is movement in plants different from that in animals?

Answer

Differences between movement in plants and movement in animals are as follows —

Movement in plants Movement in animals

Plant movements are often Animal movements are not

related to growth. related to growth.

Plant movements are

Animal movements involve
confined to only some
movement of the entire body.
plant parts.

No muscles are involved Muscles are involved in animal

in plant movements. movements.

It involves bending,
It involves displacement from
twisting and elongation of
one place to another.
plant parts.

Movement is said to be Movement is said to be

non-locomotory. locomotory.

Plants generally move to Animals generally move to find

secure support, capture mates, for protection from
food or to find water or environmental changes and to
soil nutrients. capture food.

Question 4

Name the stimulus which causes the following movements in plants: phototropism, thigmotropism,
hydrotropism and geotropism.

Answer

 Phototropism → Light
 Thigmotropism → Touch
 Hydrotropism → Water
  Geotropism → Gravity

Question 5

Name the following.

(a) A hormone that stimulates growth by cell division. Cytokinin

(b) A growth-retarding hormone in plants. Abscisic acid

(c) The main auxin found in most plants. Indole 3-acetic acid (IAA)

Descriptive Type

Question 1

Define the following terms:

(a) Phytohormones — Phytohormones or plant hormones are naturally occurring small organic molecules.

(b) Tropism — Response or orientation of a plant to certain stimulus that acts with greater intensity from
one direction to another is called tropism.

(c) Clinostat — Clinostat is a mechanical device that rotates at a slow speed to demonstrate geotropism.

(d) Apical dominance — The phenomenon of the suppression of growth of lateral buds by apical buds is
called apical dominance.

(e) Parthenocarpy — Development of fruits without fertilisation is called parthenocarpy.

(f) Abscission — Abscission is the shedding of various parts of a plant such as leaves, buds, flowers and
fruits.

(g) Heliotropism — The phenomenon in which the young flower heads follow the sun across the sky as it
moves from east to west direction is called heliotropism.

Question 2

List five plant growth hormones and mention one important role of each.

Answer

1. Auxins — Auxins promote the growth of stem, roots and fruits by cell elongation.
2. Gibberellins — Gibberellins promote the growth of internodes by cell elongation.
3. Cytokinins — Cytokinins stimulate cell division.
4. Ethylene — Ethylene helps in ripening of fruits.
5. Abscisic acid — Abscisic acid induces dormancy of buds and seeds.

Question 3

What are tropic movements? Briefly explain various types of tropic movements in plants.

Answer
Growth movements occurring in response to unidirectional external stimuli in a plant part are known as
tropic movement or tropism.

Different types of tropic movements in plants are:

1. Phototropism — Movement of plant parts towards or away from light is termed phototropism. The
plants grown in light illuminating them from all directions grow more or less upwards. Shoots of
most plants grow towards the source of light, it is termed positive phototropism. Roots grow away
from light and hence are negatively phototropic.
2. Geotropism — Movement of plant organs in response to gravity is termed geotropism. Roots are
positively geotropic because they grow in the direction of gravity. The shoot grows upwards, means
against gravity, and hence is negatively geotropic.
3. Chemotropism — Chemotropism is the phenomenon of growth of plant organs in response to
chemicals. When plant organs grow away from the chemical response, it is called negative
chemotropism. When plant parts grow towards the chemical response, it is called positive
chemotropism. The pollen tube grows towards the sugary substance secreted by the stigma of the
flower.
4. Hydrotropism — Movement of plant organs in response to water is termed hydrotropism. Roots
grow towards the source of moisture and hence are positively hydrotropic.
5. Thigmotropism — The growth movement of plant parts in response to touch stimulus is called
thigmotropism. Plants such as sweet peas and vines have tendrils which coil around other plants in
response to one sided contact or touch. Stimulus is perceived by tendril tips and then it is transmitted
to basal parts. Weak-stemmed plants use twining stems and tendrils to climb on other plants/objects
which provide them support. Hence, twining stems and tendrils are positively thigmotropic.

Question 4

The response of plants to gravity is known as geotropism. How are plant parts sensitive to

gravity? Describe with the help of a diagram.

Answer

If we sow some seeds of beans or gram in moist soil in glass beaker, they will sprout in 3-4 days. Each seed
will give rise to a tiny seedling. Water the seedlings regularly. After 8-9 days of growth, we will observe that
the stem has increased in length growing away from the force of gravity whereas the roots have also
increased in length but growing towards the force of gravity. The growth in stem shows negative (away)
response to gravity, while the root shows positive (towards) response to gravity. The below diagrams shows
this growth of seedlings:

Question 5

What is meant by positive and negative tropic movements in plants? Explain them by giving suitable
examples.
Answer

Positive tropic movements in plants:

Directional movement of a plant part towards the stimulus is called positive tropic movement.

Examples:

1. Growth of shoots towards light.

2. Growth of roots towards gravity.

3. Growth of roots towards water.

Negative tropic movements in plants:

Directional movement of a plant part away from the stimulus is called negative tropic movement.

Examples:

1. Growth of roots away from light.

2. Growth of shoots upwards and away from gravity.

3. Growth of shoots away from water.

Question 6

With the help of an experiment, prove that roots are more positively hydrotropic than geotropic.

Answer

Experiment to prove that roots are more positively hydrotropic than geotropic:

Apparatus:

Wire netting or gauze, wires, moist sawdust, germinating bean seeds.

Procedure:

Take a piece of wire netting or gauze and suspend it with the help of wires. Place moist sawdust of about 1
inch on the wire netting. Embed some germinating bean seeds in the sawdust.

Observation:

As the seeds germinate, the radicles initially grow downwards through the wire netting under the influence
of gravity. However, after some time they start growing upwards towards the moist sawdust. The shoots
grow upwards all the time.

Inference:

Roots grow in the direction of gravity and water. The growth of roots towards water and overcoming the
force of gravity suggests that roots are positively hydrotropic than geotropic. This implies that water is a
more effective stimulus than gravity.
Structured / Application / Skill Type

Question 1

The tea plants are never allowed to grow lengthwise. This is done by cutting their apical buds, a process
known as pruning. In this way, tea plants get a dense growth and easy yield. Answer the following
questions:

(a) Name the scientific phenomenon that is being overcome by pruning.

Apical dominance

(b) What plant hormone is responsible for the scientific phenomenon mentioned in (a).

Auxins

(c) Name one plant hormone which inhibits the said phenomenon.

Cytokinins

Question 2

The figure given below shows the stages of ripening in a banana. Answer the questions that follow:

(a) Name the plant hormone responsible for the above changes.

The plant hormone responsible for the above changes is Ethylene. It is the only hormone which is a gas at
ordinary temperature. It is produced in fruits and remain in the same fruit.

(b) Mention two characteristic features of this hormone.

 Characteristic features of ethylene are:

1. It is synthesised in flowers, germinating seeds and ripening fruits.

2. It promotes root growth and root hair formation and also induces and promotes fruit ripening.
Question 3

The diagram given alongside shows a type of tropism. Study the same and answer the questions that
follow:

(a) Name and define the type of tropism shown in the diagram.

The type of tropism shown in the diagram is Chemotropism. It is the phenomenon of growth of plant
organs in response to chemicals.

(b) Label the guidelines (1) to (4).

Guidelines (1) to (4) are labelled below:

 1 → Pollen grain
 2 → Pollen tube
 3 → Ovule
 4 → Ovary

(c) Name two effective stimulants that help in the growth of part (2).

Sugars and peptones.

(d) Name two groups of plants where part (2) grows towards gametophyte with the help of the stimulants
mentioned in (c).

Gymnosperms and angiosperms.

Question 4

Study the diagrams given below and answer the following questions.

(a) Name the structures shown as X and Y in the figures (A) and (B), respectively.

 X → Stem tendrils, Y → Leaf tendrils.

(b) Write the functions performed by the structures X and Y.

Stem tendrils (X) and leaf tendrils (Y) enable the plant to climb up a support.

(c) Name the phenomenon depicted and define it.

Thigmotropism is the phenomenon depicted. It is the growth movement of plant parts in response to touch
stimulus.

(d) How do the structures X and Y differ from each other?

Stem tendrils (X) arise from the stem while leaf tendrils (Y) arise from the leaf of the plant.

(e) Give examples of the plants which show the said phenomenon.

Sweet Pea, Vines and Cuscuta.