Question

Define: Growth, Differentiation, Development, Dedifferentiation, Re-differentiation, Determinate growth, Meristem, Growth rate.

Answer 1

Hint: The above terms are used to define different plant processes which helps us to understand the various modifications that the plant undergo before reaching their final adult form.

Complete Answer:
(I) Growth- This is the process during which cells undergo cell division which leads to enlargement of cells. This helps the plant to grow in height and size with time.

(II) Differentiation- It is the process by which cells change into a specialized cell type from precursor cells. Differentiation is a process that occurs multiple times to give rise to different tissues and organs. Plant cells are mainly totipotent which means that their cell can differentiate into different cell types.

(III) Development- Development in plants is the formation of defined structures such as buds, shoots, roots, leaves and flowers. A plant undergoes a variety of development procedures that begin from meristems.

(IV) Dedifferentiation- This is the process in which living differentiated cells that have lost the capacity to divide gain it back and can again undergo the differentiation process.

(V) Re-differentiation- This is the process whereby differentiated cells that had previously lost the ability to divide are reformed from dedifferentiated cells and now can carry out specific functions.

(VI) Determinate growth- Determinate growth is the process in which the growth of the stem is halted early due to the formation of a bud. This type of growth is also said to be self limiting resulting in a definite size of the plant.

(VII) Meristem- This is a kind of tissue that is found in plants and capable of going differentiation to give rise to specific tissues or organs of the plant.

(VIII) Growth rate- Growth rate in plants is the relative increase in leaf area over a particular time period.

Note: Meristems are classified by their location in the plants as apical (located at root and shoot tips), lateral (in the vascular and cork cambia), and intercalary (at internodes, or stem regions between the places at which leaves attach, and leaf bases, especially of certain monocotyledons—e.g., grasses).