Question

The morphology of plants is determined

A. by cell division at the tip of the shoots and cell elongation at the tip of the roots
B. by cell division at the tip of the roots and cell elongation at the tip of the shoots
C. by cell elongation at both the tip of the shoots and the roots
D. by cell death (apoptosis) along the radial axis
E. by cell division at both the tip of the shoots and the roots

Answer 1

The plant morphology is determined by cell division at the apical meristems of shoots and roots, followed by cell elongation near these tips, allowing the plants to access light and nutrients through primary growth.

Step-by-step explanation:

The morphology of plants is largely determined by activities at the apical meristems located at the tips of shoots and roots. The apical meristem is where rapid cell division occurs, allowing for the lengthening of the plant. These undifferentiated cells then undergo cell elongation, primarily contributing to primary growth which enables plants to seek out essential resources such as light for shoots and water and minerals for roots. Thus, both cell division and elongation at the tips contribute to plant morphology. Specifically, shoots grow due to cell division at the shoot apical meristem and subsequent elongation near the shoot tip, while roots grow due to cell division in the root meristem and elongation in the zone of elongation.