Study of the normal functioning of plants and plant cells
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33 views
Electron transport in granal stacks
See paper for distribution of PS-I and PS-II within grana
As explained in the above paper, the PS-I complex is primarily located within non-appressed thylakoid region and stroma lamella, while PS-II ...
4
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1answer
37 views
Photosynthesis regulation
I read about the regulation of Calvin cycle by thioredoxin which activates key enzymes essentially by converting disulphide linkages on inactive enzymes into sulfhydryls. Another regulatory mechanism ...
4
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1answer
55 views
Measuring sugar content of a tree
I would like to grow mushrooms on oak trees I can harvest from my property. I've read that the best results will be when the sap is rising but the tree hasn't budded yet. The mycelium feeds on the ...
0
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0answers
42 views
Relationship between biomass and net primary productivity
I want to do validation on simulated net primary productivity. But I don't have measured NPP data, Eddy covariance flux measurement data. I have only field measurement biomass data. So can I directly ...
1
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1answer
44 views
How do animals/plants change for each season?
The question pretty much sums it up. How do animals/plants change for each: Spring, Summer, Autumn, and Winter?
A detailed explanation on distinct behaviour and appearance changes would be nice.
2
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2answers
94 views
What chemicals and structures control the *direction* of plant growth in leaves, stems and roots?
If you want a specific plant, let's say the snap peas I am growing that I bought at Agway. I noticed that they grow towards the light source through the nearby window. Also I think roots work the same ...
0
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1answer
47 views
Why does the PR form of phytochrome exist?
I know how it gets converted because PR is more stable and when there is neither red or far red light PFR naturally converts to PR. But what is the point of it? If PFR is the biologically active one ...
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0answers
11 views
What controls the southern range of willows?
Many willows (Salix spp.) grow in northern states but do not grow in southern states, for example Salix viminalis.
What mechanisms control the southern range of temperate hardwoods such as willow? Is ...
2
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0answers
35 views
Is there a standard definition for plant “maturity”?
Is there a species-agnostic metric for identifying plant maturity?
There seems to be plenty of literature defining life-history stages for specific crops, but it is not clear if there is a generic ...
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1answer
36 views
What part of the cactus photosynthesizes?
In general, plants photosynthesize through their leaves and, to a much lesser extent, through their stems. Cacti, however, have no visible leaves, but instead spines. In what part of the cactus does ...
8
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1answer
118 views
Can plants get cancer?
I can't think of any reason why plants wouldn't be able to get cancer, but I've never heard of a plant growing a tumor. I've also never seen a plant with a noticeable abnormal growth. Can plants get ...
0
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1answer
49 views
Plants without bacteria? is it theoretically possible?
I know from school, that all live on the Earth need bacteria as low-level "machines" that break down/extract/convert/produce chemical elements and combinations, other high-level organisms needed. But ...
5
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1answer
213 views
How does plant grafting work?
Plant grafting is a process whereby a piece of one plant is inserted into another and results in a change of the original plant. For example, grafting a piece of a lemon tree into a bitter orange tree ...
4
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1answer
113 views
Do plant-animal cross races exist?
Plants and animals have the following distinct properties:
Plants live from solar energy by photosynthesis, they use solar energy to make sugar and oxygen out of carbon dioxide, which gives them ...
7
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2answers
125 views
Does Sansevieria trifasciata really absorb Carbon Dioxide at night?
There's a claim that Sansevieria trifasciata (Mother-in-law’s Tongue) generates oxygen from carbon dioxide during the night.
This seems surprising to me: that process requires energy; plants generate ...
3
votes
2answers
58 views
Is there any kind of immortality in plants?
I asked a question about immortality of hydra and leaned good things about senescence. Now I like to know about immortality signs in plants. If there is some kind of immortality in plants its process ...
2
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1answer
31 views
What's the simplest set-up to demonstrate soiless plant growth to middle school students?
I'm looking for a simple, inexpensive way to demonstrate that soil is not needed for plant growth to middle school students. I plan to germinate bean seeds in cotton, but where do I take it from ...
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1answer
21 views
Can a plant be induced to accelerate transpiration?
Just what the title states.
I wonder whether it is possible to fire a chemical switch - sort-of like injecting adrenaline in a human, to accelerate a particular process in a plant. For example, ...
2
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1answer
42 views
Arabidopsis thaliana RCSB active site gene mutant
I'm looking for an Arabidopsis thaliana gene listed in RCSB with a clear mode of function and active site. In addition it needs to have an obvious phenotype when knocked out like severely retarded ...
3
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1answer
64 views
How can GMO contaminate biologic plants?
Let consider two use cases :
I am the only farmer within a 200km radius. I first grow GMO plants. A few cycles later I decide to grow bio plants, so I uproot all of the GMO plants and plant fresh ...
2
votes
2answers
941 views
How do trees use Adhesion and Cohesion to move water against gravity?
I have an AP Bio class where I have to name 3 properties of water and I chose adhesion and cohesion for one of them. I'm having trouble finding out how exactly trees use adhesion and cohesion to move ...
3
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0answers
85 views
How does a plant decide when to grow a branch?
As a plant grows, at some point the first branch forms. As it continues, branches grow new branches, and so on, in a seemingly random way. Is it random, or is it driven by the environment (heat or ...
7
votes
2answers
74 views
Exactly which amino acids are phosphorylated in higher plants during state transitions?
I know it is usually stated as the threonine residue near the N-terminus of either light harvesting complex (lhc) b1 or lhcb2, but if this is somehow lost, say in a mutant, is the system flexible ...
4
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2answers
206 views
What is the effect of a pure-oxygen environment on a plant?
Just read What's the effect of oxygen deficit on plants? ; and wondered whether the opposite would have any effect on a plant.
That is to say, if a potted plant were placed under a bell-jar and ...
7
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1answer
88 views
Black bumps on the cut surface of an avocado
I cut an underripe avocado in half and put half of it, without the pit but with the peel, in the refrigerator. A day later, I see very small black bumps along the cut surface. What are they? What ...
3
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1answer
63 views
Would a plant survive if it was watered using hard-water?
Hard water is water with high mineral/salt content. I'm told that a potted plant watered with a salt solution dries out sooner or later. Is this true?
If so, would a plant survive if watered using ...
3
votes
1answer
116 views
How does a plant cutting develop roots?
Please correct me if my understanding is incorrect; I understand branch/stem, and root are composed of different types of cells. Yet in some plants (e.g. rose, bougainvillea) a cutting from the stem ...
2
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1answer
109 views
Will fruit/seed of a bonsai yield another bonsai plant/tree?
With practice one can create a bonsai; no complicated modification of the DNA in a high-end lab required. The bonsai will even beget bonsai fruit.
What I am curious about is - if such bonsai fruit ...
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0answers
32 views
Where can I find approximate rates of sequestration of CO2 for different species of algae?
For a study, I want to compare the rates of CO2 sequestration and fixation of a few different species of algae.
I could not find any data on the sequestration rates. Any pointers to where I can find ...
5
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1answer
193 views
Do all plants photosynthesize with equal efficiency?
Just what the title states.
Given identical, necessary and favourable conditions (Probably nutrients, humidity, and light but what I mean is all necessary requirements are fulfilled) - Is ...
6
votes
1answer
172 views
Can I estimate leaf temperature from air temperature? What other information would be required?
Physiological measurements such as respiration rate and assimilation rate depend on temperature.
Most papers report tissue temperature (e.g. leaf temperature for leaf measurements), although some ...
3
votes
1answer
535 views
Online course on Plant Taxonomy and Physiology
After following a course in Permaculture, I realised that if I want to get serious about it, I need to be able to distinguish plants. So I am looking for an online Video course on Plant Taxonomy and ...
6
votes
2answers
343 views
Why animals can move and plants cannot in general?
To clarify, I think the answer should be able to explain:
What are animals?
What are plants?
What's the difference between animals and plants (How do biologists differentiate them, if they ...
11
votes
1answer
159 views
Why do some trees have a life span, while some don't?
I have heard that there is no limit on the growth of trees, but then why do some trees, such as boxelders and poplars, tend to live shorter than redwoods, for example? Some advertisements for improved ...
4
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1answer
104 views
How do plants intake minerals through their leaves?
How do plants intake the fertilizer when it is sprayed all over the leaf surface as a foliar feed?
5
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1answer
34 views
Why are some plants frost tender?
Why do some plants have the ability to stand frost, while others can't? Does it have to do with the size of the water vacuoles in the plant cells?
15
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4answers
367 views
How do trees manage to grow equally in all directions?
I was walking down a road with these beautifully huge trees when this question occurred to me.
Large trees with many thick branches have to grow equally in all directions, or they would tip over. Is ...
11
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1answer
72 views
Does a theory exist for the formation of thylakoid structure?
I'm interested in how the structure of the thylakoid forms into its characteristic highly rugose stacks of grana. What causes the thylakoid to invaginate and self-associate, albeit with what appear to ...
10
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2answers
336 views
How does a tree trunk sprout and grow after being cut?
After I cut trees into logs and remove the branches in winter, they start growing. They sprout out and grow completely normal looking stems and leaves and maintain them all summer. The sprouts mostly ...
9
votes
1answer
85 views
Why do some fruits have a much wider range of acceptable sizes than others?
Some fruits such as pumpkins can grow to be 100 lbs. Under different conditions, the same variety of pumpkin can produce a 15 lb. fruit. Both plants are healthy, and look the same except for their ...
5
votes
1answer
219 views
Do immature fruits perform photosynthesis?
Most immature fruits are green: peppers, pine cones, plums, lots of them. I want to know if the green is from chlorophyll in the cells. Do the fruit cells perform photosynthesis? When you cover a ...
7
votes
1answer
284 views
Can any plant regenerate missing tissue?
I have not yet found a plant that, when an insect eats a hole in one of its leaves, it can regenerate the lost tissue. Many plants will grow a new stem if the old one is cut, but it is not a perfect ...
9
votes
1answer
473 views
What's the effect of oxygen deficit on plants?
As I know all cells require oxygen. So my question is how efficiently can plants operate in no-oxygen atmosphere? Do all plants produce enough oxygen for themselves? Can they consume their own oxygen ...
2
votes
1answer
81 views
If only dicots have pith, what is the foam in the middle of cornstalks?
I've heard that the only plants that have pith are dicots, because of the shape of their vascular bundle. If that is true, what is the foam inside of the corn plants, which are monocots?
7
votes
1answer
203 views
If the xylem of a woody plant is composed of dead tissue, how does sapwood become heartwood?
If the xylem of a tree is composed entirely of dead tissue, then that means the sapwood is dead. If so, how does it transform into heartwood, and what starts the process?
6
votes
1answer
161 views
How do white Caladiums perform enough photosynthesis to support their mass?
In some white caladiums, there is less than a square inch of green space spread over the whole leaf. How do these plants perform the photosynthesis necessary to support the large leaves, the roots, ...
8
votes
1answer
125 views
What is the maximum potential sucrose concentration of plant sap? What keeps plants below this potential?
I am interested in identifying the maximum potential dissolved sucrose (%w/w) that plant sap could have, and which (biological, physical, chemical) factors constrain the observed sucrose ...
7
votes
1answer
140 views
Compare and contrast “Rubisco activity” and “assimilation rate” (is there a difference, and if so, what is it)?
I am confused about the variable "RuBisCO activity". How is it measured, and is it any different from the net assimilation rate?
Based on some background reading (e.g. Kling, 2008; Lambers et al ...
4
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1answer
153 views
Why dont “growing degree days” have units of degrees Celsius (or do they)?
From Wikipedia:
Growing degree days (GDD), also called growing degree units (GDUs), are a heuristic tool in phenology. GDD are a measure of heat accumulation used by horticulturists, gardeners, ...
8
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0answers
83 views
How would a warm winter affect maple sap production?
The past winter (2011-2012) was warmer than usual.
Trees are normally tapped in late February when the daily maximum temperature goes above freezing. However, assuming that there have been ...
