Question

If you remove the trip of the plant, what would you expect would happen to the plant?

a. Nothing. The plant would continue to grow
b. The plant might continue to grow in length, but not in girth (circumference)
c. The plant might continue to grow in girth, but not in length
d. The roots would be able to add length, but the terminal buds could not
e. It is impossible to predict

Answer 1

Removing the tip of the plant affects primary growth, which contributes to length. Plants might grow in girth if capable of secondary growth but not in length due to the absence of the apical meristem.

Step-by-step explanation:

If you remove the tip of the plant, normally comprised of the apical meristem, primary growth would be affected. Primary growth occurs at the tips of roots and shoots and is responsible for an increase in the length of the plant. This means that if the apical meristem is removed, the plant might continue to grow in girth (circumference) if it has the capacity for secondary growth but would likely not grow in length since the primary growth has been compromised. For plants capable of secondary growth, such as woody plants, lateral meristems are responsible for the increase in girth. In these plants, removing the apical meristem might result in more pronounced secondary growth since the plant could allocate more resources to growing in girth rather than length.