External Structure of Roots and Stems

The lab exercise about External Structure of roots and stems enabled us to see and hold the parts of the roots and stems of plants, thus examine them more closely. We were able to compare the different root systems and the kinds of stems of different plants, thus we were able to find similarities and differences. We examined different root systems and labeled the parts, thus we were able to differentiate both kinds of systems from one another. We were also given the chance to examine closely a monocot and a dicot plant. Thus, we were able to sketch and label the parts, allowing us to further see the similarities and differences between the two. Overall, we were able to successfully label the parts in spite of the discrepancy in time allotted for the experiment.

Introduction

Imagine a mountain that has no grass, no trees, and no plants. There would be no support for the soil, for there are no roots that hold it together. Soon, there would be soil erosion and poof! The mountain will be gone before you even notice it. Different kinds of plants have different structures of roots and stems in order to function properly. They have systems designed especially for their survival and reproduction. Such examples are the stamen, roots, etc.

Since the needs of different plants completely differ from one another, their parts will surely become different, and this contributes to the wonderful diversity around us. Hopefully, through this exercise, the students would be able to grasp a deeper understanding of the importance of plants around us. Just like the example above, soil erosion can kill thousands of people and can affect the lives of millions more if young individuals such as the students would not become aware of preserving...

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...dicot, but there are also similarities as well. One example is the presence of nodes and internodes on both kinds of stem. There are 4 regions in a root tip. The root cap, the meristem, where cell division occurs, the region of cell elongation, where cells become longer and less opaque, and the region of cell differentiation where the difference among the different cell types in the mature root become visible.

References

Monocots versus Dicots. Berkeley Institute. B.R. Speer. Nov. 23, 1995. July 31, 2005. http://www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/glossary/gloss8/monocotdicot.html

Roots. Koning, Ross E. 1994. Plant Physiology Information Website. http://koning.ecsu.ctstateu.edu/Plant_Biology/roots.html