LOCOMOTION AND SUPPORT

Support In Plants

Plant A in water

Plant A on land

Support-related Problems Faced By Aquatic Plants

Difficulty to support weight due to soft thin stem. Tendency to sink Difficulty to keep buoyant

Support in aquatic plants

AQUATIC PLANTS
1.SUBMERGED PLANTS submerged plants have very thin,narrow and very flexible leaves. Exp: Hydrilla sp., Elodea sp., Cabomba sp Utricularia sp. Have air sacs or air spaces,keep the plants float close to the surface. Water buoyancy provides support,their stems have no woody tissue

2. FLOATING PLANTS

-exp: water hyacinth (Eichornia crassipes) water lily (Nelumbium ss) - have broad leaves that firm but flexible. -have aerenchyma tissues in the stems and leaves. -aerenchyma tissues are spongy tissues with large air spaces. -they provide buoyancy so the plants can float on the surface of the water.

Support-related Problems Faced By Terrestrial Plants

Need a strong stem and branches, difficulty in supporting its weight Growing tall, withstand the forces of gravity Spread leaves and branches , problem of gravity pull

1.HERBACEOUS PLANTS

-achieved tissue modification -exp:spinach is provided by turgidity of parenchyma and collenchyma cells. -turgor pressure of the fluids in the central vacuole pushes the cell contents and plasma membrane against the cell walls,creating support for the stems,roots -the thickening of the cell walls with cellulose and pectin in the collenchyma cells provide additional mechanical strength.

2.WOODY PLANTS

-Provided by sclerenchyma lignified and xylem. - sclerenchyma tissues have two types: fibers(long,straight and thin) Sclereids(short,circular and irregular-shaped) -fibers found around vascular tissue. -sclereids in fruits and seeds. -during development,cell walls of the xylem vessels and tracheids are thickened with lignin. This results in the formation of different types of vessels.

-the formation of these types of the vessels is collectively known as the primary xylem. -as plants grow, they usually undergo secondary growth with results in the formation of a large amount of secondary xylem called wood. -wood makes a plant stronger and provides mechanical support

i) ii) iii) iv) v) vi)

Some land plants have special support features such as Tendrills cucumber plant Thorns rose plant Twining stems - morning glory plant Clasping roots money plant Prop roots mangrove trees Buttress roots angsana trees

-have buttress roots -these roots that come out from lower part of the trunk and grow into the ground, providing support for the trees. -Creepers , vines and lianas(woody vines) use other trees for support. - rattan is a type of liana which is used in making furniture and ropes. -lianas have variety of adaptations to attach themselves to their hosts such as twining stems and thorns.

Special structural adaptations for external support in some terrestrial plants