Questions tagged [plant-physiology]

Study of the normal functioning of plants and plant cells

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Are there any genetically modified GMO squash with a vine growth habit which grow back from the root?

When I cut Scottish thistles with scissors, the thistle grows back from the tap root. When I accidentally step on squash vines, the squash vine dies. I was wondering if genetics research has produced ...
3 votes
0 answers
78 views

Why do sieve elements need to be alive

I am studying high school biology and I got these two pieces of information in khan academy and wikipedia: Sieve elements in phloem are living cells because the translocation includes active ...
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2 answers
61 views

Do monoecious plants have bisexual flowers?

I used to think that monoecious plants have male (unisexual) flowers and female (unisexual) flowers on the same plant but on different locations. But recently I learnt that monoecious plants also have ...
2 votes
1 answer
111 views

What is the nature of seedless fruits?

Can seedless fruit be produced in nature without humans interfering with the fruit? And would that be considered a spontaneous mutation?
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19 views

Induced mutation for fruit

If we induce a plant to be polyploidy would that affect other parts of the plant, for example when the plant produces a pollen grain would it still be (n) or would it be different?
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1 answer
74 views

Which kind of inflorescence(s) does Sonchus oleraceus have?

Many capitulum inflorescences, several corymb inflorescences with capitulum inflorescences as the end nodes of each corymb inflorescence, or one compound corymb inflorescence with capitulum ...
24 votes
6 answers
9k views

What determines the spiral direction of plants?

Some plants and vines spiral clockwise as they go along (right direction) and some spiral anticlockwise (left direction). What determines which direction they spiral along? At first, I believed it to ...
8 votes
1 answer
295 views

What part, roughly, of the carbon in a plant comes from the soil? As opposed to the atmosphere?

C4 plants contain a slightly higher percentage of carbon-13 than C3 plants. Is this because of carbon obtained from the soil or the atmosphere? I have read that plants using different chemical ...
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1 answer
27 views

Do all plants have meristems?

Are there any plants that lack a meristem (at any phase in their lifecycle)? Searching for it on the web, the materials I find seem to assume no, but none say it explicitly.
4 votes
1 answer
30 views

Sources of chlorophyll fluorescence

I have been reading this article recently, which claims that photoinhibition of photosystem II can have measurable impacts of chlorophyll fluorescence. This confused me, however, because ...
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21 views

Primary charge separation in Photosystem II

I was reading through an article about primary charge separation in Photosystem II when I came across the following graphic: I assumed that the axis is measured with respect to the unexcited system, ...
-1 votes
3 answers
1k views

How do plants absorb CO2?

I see many repeated claims that plants absorb $CO_2$ from the air. $CO_2$ goes into the stomata, while $H_2O$ evaporates and leaves those same stomata. The $CO_2$ dissolves in the water in the plant ...
1 vote
1 answer
46 views

What is the use of having 3 antipodal cells and 2 synergids?

The embryo sac which is developed from functional megaspore contains 8 nuclei.2 polar nuclei and egg fuses with sperms.3 antipodal cells and 2 synergids degenerate after fertilization.Then what is the ...
1 vote
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Is a plant's own compost better for the plant?

Does it make a difference if a plant is composted and used for its own compost ? Meaning, let's say there is a plant "X" (example Cucumber) Would it grow better if the compost was made from ...
5 votes
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Explanation of the results of Warburg's Flashing Light experiment?

Between 1919 and 1920† Warburg obtained a higher rate of photosynthesis in Chlorella, exposed to rapid alternating periods of light and darkness, than when exposed to constant illumination. I would ...
1 vote
0 answers
9 views

Does lower stomatal conductance of water influenced by elevated CO2 decrease overall evapotranspiration?

From what I understand, elevated CO2 levels decrease the stomatal conductance of water in plants. What I remember from irrigation sciences, higher temperatures should be more demanding on ...
1 vote
1 answer
92 views

Why do highland/alpine plants require a drop in night temperatures to thrive?

There are mountain plants which require a drop in nightly temperature (many Nepenthes, Heliamphora and orchids for example). A non-specialist explanation is that the plants die of "starvation&...
2 votes
1 answer
35 views

Caudex vs Xylopodium difference

I live in Brazil and many plants from the brazilian grasslands/prairies exhibit an structure called, by the brazilian literature, "xylopodium" (or "xilopódio" in portuguese) - ...
4 votes
4 answers
1k 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 ...
1 vote
1 answer
69 views

Are fairy rings documented as a growth pattern in ferns?

I planted an Onoclea sensibilis, a single plant, in my garden. After the first season, there was signs that a fairy ring was forming. A few years later it was mostly complete, but then was obscured in ...
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How low potassium can potatoes have due to low potassium in soil?

According to Wikipedia 100 grams of potatoes has 2005 milligrams of potassium. But if there is low potassium in the soil where it grows, it may not be able to acquire so much potassium. How little of ...
-1 votes
1 answer
318 views

What are the most intelligent plants?

For intelligence lets adapt the definition from here: Perception of the surrounding environment Adaptation to environmental conditions Communication (in the case of plants, through chemical ...
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1 answer
37 views

In traditional plant cloning, why do we require two different vectors (plasmids)?

So I was recently taught cloning in plants and I came to wonder what is the need to first put the gene of interest in the entry vector plasmid and then the final vector plasmid before finally ...
14 votes
2 answers
6k 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 ...
11 votes
2 answers
289 views

Why do cucurbits produce so much fluid when their stems are cut?

When carrying out some germination tests on species in the Cucurbitaceae, I notice that young plants of this family produce a lot of clear fluid when they are dissected. Most plants I dissect do not ...
2 votes
0 answers
22 views

Is there always a leaf(s) attatched to an auxillary bud?

I'm trying to create a 3D functional-structural plant model and I need to establish some axioms. Is it guaranteed or extremely likely that where auxiliary bud forms there's a leaf(s) attached? That's ...
3 votes
2 answers
1k views

Why do fruits have to ripen?

It seems like most fruits that we consume undergo some sort of ripening process either before or after they are picked from the vine, tree, etc. I understand that sugars are released during the ...
1 vote
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35 views

Photolysis of water

Photolysis of water releases $\text{O}_2$, $\text{H}^+$ ions and $\text{e}^-$. $\text{Mn}$ in the $\text{O}_2$ evolving complex also produces $\text{e}^-$. What provides $\text{e}^-$ to P680:$\text{Mn}...
12 votes
2 answers
989 views

Is it scientifically sound to pool repeated measurements?

I am measuring specific phenolic compounds in leaves of A. thaliana. I have many different varieties, and different treatments. Initially I was measuring one leaf per plant for three plants for each ...
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1 answer
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Is that true that plant stem cells can be used in humans?

I was reading an article (which seems very fake to me) on sensitive topics, but there was one astonishing statement: Stem cells are obtained from certain plants that grow all over the world. Once ...
-1 votes
1 answer
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scientific reasons behind a a sudden yet temporary growth sprout of the plant when the soil has No depth?

Sorry, I'm kind of naive when it comes to plant biology. Mark 4:5-6( New American Standard Bible 1995 ) 5 Other seed fell on the rocky ground where it did not have much soil; and immediately it ...
5 votes
1 answer
89 views

Difference between "biotroph" and "parasitic"

In the studying process for my exam I learned about ways of life of pathogenes in plants. There, it was mentioned, they can live nekrotrophic, hemibiotrophic or biotrophic. As far as I understand, a ...
7 votes
3 answers
2k views

Stomata during night (respiration)

How does carbon dioxide from respiration diffuse out of the leaf during the night? Do stomata close completely during night?
5 votes
1 answer
722 views

Is it normal for corn to have multiple ears in one place?

I have (out of a mistake) one corn plant in my greenhouse and it made 4 cobs in one place. Is that normal?! I never saw something like this before.
1 vote
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247 views

Calculation of solute, pressure and water potential

What would be the water potential (Ψw), solute potential (Ψs) and pressure potential (Ψp) at equilibrium when a cell with Ψs= – 0.7 MPa and Ψp= 0.7 MPa is placed in a solution with Ψs= – 0.5 MPa? (...
1 vote
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818 views

Measuring a plant's electric activity any instructions where to place electrodes?

I would like to measure a plant's electric activity / voltage, I've looked online to find out where to place the electrodes and what type of electrodes to use but they seem to very wildly. Any ideas? ...
1 vote
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How long can zooxanthellae survive on their own, after being expelled from coral after a bleaching event?

So many sites (and books and journals and such) discuss how long different types of coral can survive without their dinoflagellate algae (zooxanthellae), but... How long can the poor little symbiotic ...
2 votes
0 answers
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How much sunlight is required for photosynthesis to peak?

I've read that photosynthesis peaks at some point over light intensities https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PI_curve According to https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/guides/z9pjrwx/revision/5 suggests At very ...
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1 answer
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Issues obtaining Fo in DIY Imaging Fluorometer

I have successfully built an imaging fluorometer at home (see project details here) and so far is working amazingly well. But I am having serious issues in obtaining Fo to calculate Fv/Fm (Fm-Fo)/Fm. ...
2 votes
1 answer
166 views

What is the limiting factor for algal growth in the oceans?

As far as I can tell, pelagic algae require four main things to live: sunlight, carbon dioxide, trace minerals and physical space. What is the limiting factor? Note this is kind of a deceptive ...
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vitamin D in mushrooms

How could I test vitamin D levels in mushrooms? (I am a high school student, our lab is pretty modern, but my resources are limited) I found an article about it (https://www.hindawi.com/journals/jfq/...
46 votes
1 answer
4k views

What is it that creates that wonderful smell after a fresh rain?

I've heard that the wonderful smell of a fresh rain is actually chemicals released from the trees and grass and other plants. What is the process that allows these chemicals to be released? What are ...
0 votes
2 answers
1k views

Artificial Propagation and it's relation to asexual reproduction

I know that asexual reproduction is also called vegetative reproduction. However I do not understand it's relation to artificial propagation. Is it a technique used for asexual reproduction (the ...
4 votes
1 answer
326 views

How to measure the biomass of hydroponic plants in netpot/rockwool DWC system?

I'm doing an experiment with 4 kale plants, each in their own small deep water culture (DWC) system. Each plant was transplanted in rockwool with netpots and clay pebbles. But I need to periodically ...
1 vote
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Chemiosmotic hypothesis [closed]

During the transport of electrons, some H+ are removed from the chloroplast stroma, which causes a proton gradient to build up inside the thylakoid lumen. But what's the source of H+ in stroma at the ...
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1 answer
330 views

Nastic movements in Insectivorous plants

Questions: What type of plant movement is shown by each of Sundew, Venus Flytrap and Pitcher Plant? What is the mechanism of the movement? Can a movement be both Chemonastic and Thigmonastic? If yes, ...
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1 answer
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If stomata is closed at night ,how does exchange of oxygen take place at night? [closed]

In this article in the second paragraph, it is written that the stomata remains closed at night to reduce water loss. We know that the plants respire and take in oxygen at night. Then how do plants ...
-1 votes
1 answer
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In phloems, does the sap move through the sieve element cytoplasm?

We know that in xylems, the water move through the lumen of the vessel elements and move to the other vessel element through a pit. As the vessel elements are dead , there is no cytoplasm to block ...
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1 answer
318 views

How do plants know to grow towards the light? [closed]

Plants lack a central nervous system. How do they know to drop leaves in full shade and to curve stems towards the current light source?
12 votes
2 answers
338 views

Can you accelerate the growth of a plant by accelerating its surroundings?

I had this weird idea of making plants grow faster when I first visited an indoor nursery which used floodlights instead of sunlight. They turned on during the day and went off during night in cycles. ...

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