Growth in plants
Teaching Notes
Introduction and context
The animations in this series illustrate a range of processes that take place in plants.
The animation can be used to observe movement and changes. The technical notes
provided as a separate download explain how to navigate the various parts of the
screen, whilst the teaching notes provide information and links to help explain the
various processes.
The animations in this series are:
 Transport of water and sugar in plants
 Respiration and photosynthesis
 Cell growth and division
The purpose of these animations is to illustrate how the different processes going on
inside plant are dependent on each other, and to show how different structures support
these processes.
Teaching Notes
Scene
Points to note
Growth points in a plant
You Tube video
Increasing length – growth at the root
tip
You Tube video
Unlike most animals, plants have specific
zones where growth can occur, as shown
by the circles on this screen. Each zone
contains a meristem, which is a group of
dividing cells, clusters of new cells which
are increasing in size (elongation), and
slightly older cells which become
specialized into different tissues
(differentiation). This animation looks in
more detail at two of these zones – in the
root tip and in the stem.
Growth at the root tip results in the root
being pushed further into the soil. To avoid
abrasion the root tip is protected by a cap,
which also needs a constant supply of new
cells. Growth in the root is coordinated to
ensure that root hairs for water absorption
are only formed once elongation is
complete, and to coincide with the
formation of new xylem. More details
about water uptake and transport can be
seen in the animation ‘Transport of water
and sugars in plants’.
Science & Plants for Schools: www.saps.org.uk
Animations – Growth in Plants – teachers’ notes: p. 1
The cells in the zone of division are small
and unspecialized. They divide by mitosis,
forming two identical nuclei, before the
cytoplasm divides between the nuclei and
a new cell wall is formed. The cell then
undergoes a period of growth before
dividing once more.
Growth caused by cell division at root
tip
You Tube video
Mitosis in a root cell
You Tube video
Increasing diameter – growth in
vascular bundles
You Tube video
As a flat two dimension animation it is
difficult to appreciate the complexity of this
process. New cells are formed in all
directions to create an elongating cylinder.
The animation does not show how new
cells in one direction form root cap cells,
but form xylem and other root tissues in the
other direction.
The final scene in the root tip sequence
illustrates how chromosomes behave
during mitosis. Each chromosome consists
of a pair of chromatids. These are pulled
apart during anaphase by microtubules
within the cell. The separate chromatids
are then replicated to form new
chromosomes, ensuring that each new cell
formed is genetically identical to every
other cell within the plant. The names of
the different phases of mitosis are shown
in the animation. There is also a
photograph to show the appearance of
onion cells undergoing different phases of
mitosis for comparison. In the photograph
the DNA of the chromosomes is artificially
stained dark red.
Increasing the diameter of the stem
enables the plant to grow taller. Patterns of
growth are complicated as additional
height needs additional xylem to provide
support and extra water transporting
capacity. New phloem is also needed to
replace older damaged tissue. The dividing
cells are located inside the vascular
bundle in meristems called cambium.
The animation shows how increasing
diameter of the stem is brought about by
an increase in the amount of xylem, and
new phloem being pushed towards the
edge of the stem.
In trees, cambium forms a continuous ring
and as growth continues, compressed
xylem in the centre of the stem becomes
wood, and the phloem is protected by
bark.
Science & Plants for Schools: www.saps.org.uk
Animations – Growth in Plants – teachers’ notes: p. 2
Growth caused by cell division in
cambium
You Tube video
The initial scene shows the arrangement of
cells around the cambium, with mature
cells towards the top and bottom of the
picture and youngest cells in the centre.
For simplicity the animation then just
focuses on one single column of cells.
Similar changes to those shown in the
animation take place at the same time
throughout each vascular bundle.
Small undifferentiated cells in the cambium
divide and are pushed outwards. They
enlarge, by absorbing water driven by
osmosis, and start to differentiate. Xylem
cells become strengthened with lignin and
lose their cell contents. Phloem cells
develop a large vacuole and many phloem
cells lose their nucleus.
Questions
1. List some possible ways of measuring the growth rate of a plant. Describe the
advantages and some of the problems associated with each method. (Describe)
Possible answers may include:
 Height – simple to carry out but ignores lateral growth, in seedlings grown in
poor light an increase in height can indicate etiolation rather than growth
 Dry mass – gives accurate results of mass of plant tissue but only useful when
sampling a large number of plants as each measurement destroys the plant
 Wet mass – Results vary given different water content of the plant at different
periods off the day. An increase in wet mass does not imply an increase in the
mass of plant tissue.
 Girth – diameter of stem – easy to measure and may be useful for trees but
not other plants. Varies depending on transpiration rate. Problems taking
repeat measurements in finding the same point to take the measurement.
 Size of roots or number of roots – interferes with further growth and so cannot
be repeated using the same plant
2.
How does the root tip get the raw materials needed to create new cells? (Explain)
Possible answers may include:
 There is no phloem to deliver sugars and other raw materials to the root tip.
These materials will need to pass through cortex cells, probably using carrier
molecules and ATP to move to the root tip. Water needed for cell expansion
and other processes would then enter the dividing cells by osmosis.
3. Use the information in these notes to explain why plants need specialized growth
regions (meristems) unlike animals that have tissues each capable of creating new
cells for growth or repair. (Analyse)
Possible answers may include:
Science & Plants for Schools: www.saps.org.uk
Animations – Growth in Plants – teachers’ notes: p. 3
 Once plants cells divide to form new cells those cells become specialized
(differentiated). Some of those cell types then become too specialized to
enable them to divide themselves. An example is xylem that loses its cell
contents when mature and therefore is incapable of division and growth. The
meristems can coordinate growth more easily than if cells of each tissue were
able to divide independently. This ensures in the vascular cambium that xylem
and phloem are both produced in a coordinated way, or in the root tip, the
production of root cap cells is balanced against the production of new root
cortex cells. This is necessary, as plants do not contain a central coordinating
system.
 Plants are immobile and regulating growth from meristems allows plasticity in
growth, responses to environmental stimuli and regrowth after herbivory.
Animals can usually move away from stressful conditions, plants have to
adapt growth via changing the balance of root and shoot meristem activity.
4.
Compare and contrast the growth of sunflower plants with that of humans. (Link)
Possible answers may include:
 Both organisms need to grow, to reach maturity so that they can reproduce.
They both depend on an external source of raw materials to grow, and much
growth is concerned with increasing their access to these raw materials. Their
growth involves an increase in the number of cells, rather than the size of their
cells increasing. This involves complex control mechanisms to ensure that
growth of different parts is coordinated. Hormones are involved in this
coordination.
 Plant growth occurs in discrete zones unlike humans where the majority of
tissues are capable of dividing and forming new cells for that particular tissue.
As more is learned about stem cells it appears that just like meristems in
plants, in human cells may also in some situations be able to differentiate into
different tissues. At a cell level there may be fewer differences between plant
and human growth than was once believed.
 The overall growth of humans is determinate – there is a finite size beyond
which growth stops. Growth proceeds in a series of phases under hormonal
control. In sunflowers growth is indeterminate, allowing plants grown in
favourable conditions to continue to grow to considerable height.
References and further reading
For teachers
A large number of resources and activities available for teachers on the National STEM
eLibrary
http://www.nationalstemcentre.org.uk/elibrary/search?term=plant+growth&order=score
For students
Ideas for measuring plant growth
http://www.sciencebuddies.org/science-fairprojects/project_ideas/PlantBio_measuring_growth.shtml
Plant meristems – for younger students
Science & Plants for Schools: www.saps.org.uk
Animations – Growth in Plants – teachers’ notes: p. 4
http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/gcsebitesize/science/add_ocr_pre_2011/growth_developm
ent/singlecellrev2.shtml
Acknowledgements
Storyboard: Richard Needham CSciTeach
Animation: Elektra Media Ltd
With thanks to Prof Howard Griffiths, Department of Plant Sciences, University of Cambridge
Science & Plants for Schools: www.saps.org.uk
Animations – Growth in Plants – teachers’ notes: p. 5