1. State the location and function of different types of meristems.

Answer. Meristems are of three types on the basis of their location in plant body:
(i) Apical meristem: It is present at the apices of root and shoot. The shoot apical meristem is present at the tip of the shoots and its active division results in the elongation of the stem and formation of new leaves. The root apical meristem helps in root elongation.
(ii)Intercalary meristem: It is present at the bases of leaves above the nodes or below the nodes and is responsible for elongation of the organs.
(iii)Lateral meristem : It is present on lateral side and is responsible for increase in girth or diameter.

2. Cork cambium forms tissues that form the cork. Do you agree with this statement? Explain.

Answer. Yes, I agree with this statement. Cork cambium cuts off cells both on its outer side and inner side. The cells cut off on outer side form cork and cells cut off on inner side form secondary cortex. The cells of cork are dead whereas those of secondary cortex are living.

3. Explain the process of secondary growth in the stems of woody angiosperms with the help of schematic diagrams. What is its significance?
 

Answer. In woody dicots, the strip of cambium present between the primary xylem and phloem is called the interfascicular cambium. The interfascicular cambium is formed from the cells of the medullary rays adjoining the interfascicular cambium. This results in the formation of a continuous cambium ring. The cambium cuts off new cells toward its either sides. The cells present toward the outside differentiate into the secondary phloem, while the cells cut off toward the pith give rise to the secondary xylem. The amount of the secondary xylem produced is more than that of the secondary phloem.

The secondary growth in plants increases the girth of plants, increases the amount of water and nutrients to support the growing number of leaves, and also provides support to plants.
Significance of secondary growth is as follows:
(i) It adds to the girth of the plant thus provides support to increasing weight of aerial parts due to growth.
(ii)It’ produces a corky bark around the tree trunk that protects the interior from abrasion, heat, cold and infection.
(iii)It adds new vascular tissues for replacing old non-functioning one as well as for meeting increased demand for long distance transport of sap and organic nutrients

4. Draw illustrations to bring out the anatomical difference between
(a) Monocot root and dicot root
(b) Monocot stem and dicot stem

Answer.(a) Differences between monocot root and dicot root are illustrated in the following figure and table.

(b) Differences between monocot and dicot stems are illustrated in the following figure and table.

5. Cut a transverse section of young stem of a plant from your school garden and observe it under the microscope. How would you ascertain whether it is a monocot stem or a dicot stem ? Give reasons.

Answer. Vascular bundles in dicot stem are arranged in a ring whereas in monocot stem vascular bundles are scattered throughout the ground tissue. On the basis of arrangement of vascular bundles it can be ascertained whether the young stem is dicot or monocot. Besides undifferentiated ground tissue, sclerenchymatous hypodermis, oval or circular vascular bundles with Y shaped xylem are other differentiating features of monocot stem.

6. The transverse section of a plant material shows the following anatomical features – (a) the vascular bundles are conjoint, scattered and surrounded by a sclerenchymatous bundle sheath, (b) phloem parenchyma is absent. What will you identify it as?

Answer. The plant material is identified as monocot stem.

7. Why are xylem and phloem called complex tissues?
 

Answer. Xylem and phloem are known as complex tissues as they are made up of more than one type of cells. These cells work in a coordinated manner, as a unit, to perform the various functions of the xylem and phloem.

Xylem helps in conducting water and minerals. It also provides mechanical support to plants. It is made up of the following components:

• Tracheids (xylem vessels and xylem tracheids)

• Xylem parenchyma

• Xylem fibres

Tracheids are elongated, thick-walled dead cells with tapering ends. Vessels are long, tubular, and cylindrical structures formed from the vessel members, with each having lignified walls and large central cavities. Both tracheids and vessels lack protoplasm. Xylem fibres consist of thick walls with an almost insignificant lumen. They help in providing mechanical support to the plant. Xylem parenchyma is made up of thin-walled parenchymatous cells that help in the storage of food materials and in the radial conduction of water.

Phloem helps in conducting food materials. It is composed of:

• Sieve tube elements

• Companion cells

• Phloem parenchyma

• Phloem fibres

Sieve tube elements are tube-like elongated structures associated with companion cells. The end walls of sieve tube elements are perforated to form the sieve plate. Sieve tube elements are living cells containing cytoplasm and nucleus. Companion cells are parenchymatous in nature. They help in maintaining the pressure gradient in the sieve tube elements. Phloem parenchyma helps in the storage of food and is made up of long tapering cells, with a dense cytoplasm. Phloem fibres are made up of elongated sclerenchymatous cells with thick cell walls.

8. What is stomatal apparatus? Explain the structure of stomata with a labelled diagram.

Answer.Stomata are structures present in the epidermis of leaves. Stomata regulate the process of transpiration and gaseous exchange. Each stoma is composed*of two bean shaped cells known as guard cells which enclose stomatal pore. The outer walls of guard cells (away from the stomatal pore) are thin and the inner walls (towards the stomatal pore) are highly thickened. The guard cells possess chloroplasts and regulate the opening and closing of stomata. Sometimes, a few epidermal cells, in the vicinity of the guard cells become specialised in their shape and size and are known as subsidiary cells. The stomatal aperture, guard cells and the surrounding subsidiary cells are together called stomatal apparatus.
                                        
9. Name the three basic tissue systems in the flowering plants. Give the tissue names under each system.
Answer.

10. How is the study of plant anatomy useful to us?

Answer. The study of plant anatomy helps us to understand the structural adaptations of plants with respect to diverse environmental conditions. It also helps us to distinguish between monocots, dicots, and gymnosperms. Such a study is linked to plant physiology. Hence, it helps in the improvement of food crops. The study of plant-structure allows us to predict the strength of wood. This is useful in utilising it to its potential. The study of various plant fibres such as jute, flax, etc., helps in their commercial exploitation.

11 .What is periderm? How does periderm formation take place in the dicot stems?

Answer.phelloderm, phellogen and phellem together constitute the periderm. Periderm is protective in function.Dicot stems produce cork cambium or phellogen in the outer cortical cells. Phellogen cells divide on both the outer side as well as the inner side to form secondary tissues. The secondary tissue produced on the inner side of the phellogen is called secondary cortex or phelloderm. On the outer side phellogen produces cork or phellem.

12.Describe the internal structure of a dorsiventral leaf with the help of labelled diagram.
 

Answer.Dorsiventral leaves are found in dicots. The vertical section of a dorsiventral leaf contains three distinct parts.

[1] Epidermis:

Epidermis is present on both the upper surface (adaxial epidermis) and the lower surface (abaxial epidermis). The epidermis on the outside is covered with a thick cuticle. Abaxial epidermis bears more stomata than the adaxial epidermis.

[2] Mesophyll:

Mesophyll is a tissue of the leaf present between the adaxial and abaxial epidermises. It is differentiated into the palisade parenchyma (composed of tall, compactly-placed cells) and the spongy parenchyma (comprising oval or round, loosely-arranged cells with inter cellular spaces). Mesophyll contains the chloroplasts which perform the function of photosynthesis.

[3] Vascular system:

The vascular bundles present in leaves are conjoint and closed. They are surrounded by thick layers of bundle-sheath cells.