A student looks at thin slices of a young root tip and writes four notes…
Contributed by StemPy LabTry it on paper first. A hint, the key idea and the worked solution are here when you need them.
A student looks at thin slices of a young root tip and writes four notes.
- Small, thin-walled cells with dense protoplasm, dividing again and again.
- Cells that are lengthening and growing larger.
- Cells of the outer layer with fine, thread-like outgrowths.
- A thimble-like cover of cells over the tip.
Name the region in each note, and say what it does.
Need a reminder? The key ideaShow
A tap root system has a primary root from the radicle, with lateral roots (dicots). A fibrous root system has many thin roots from the base of the stem (monocots). Adventitious roots grow from parts other than the radicle. A root tip has the root cap, the region of meristematic activity, the region of elongation and the region of maturation with root hairs. Roots change for storage (carrot, turnip, radish, sweet potato), support (prop roots of banyan, stilt roots of maize and sugarcane) and breathing (pneumatophores of Rhizophora).
The worked solution
Have you tried it?
Work it out on paper first. It is fine to get stuck or make a mistake: that is how we learn. When you are ready, go through the solution one step at a time, and check each step against your own.
Step 1. (a) The region of meristematic activity. It makes new cells by division.
Step 2. (b) The region of elongation. It makes the root longer.
Step 3. (c) The region of maturation, with its root hairs. They absorb water and minerals.
Step 4. (d) The root cap. It protects the tender tip as the root pushes through the soil.
Answer: (a) meristematic region; (b) region of elongation; (c) region of maturation; (d) root cap.
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