Principles of Biology ______Lake Tahoe Community College s1

Principles of Biology - Biology 102 Lake Tahoe Community College Spring Quarter Instructor: Sue Kloss ______

Ch. 37 - Plant Nutrition ______

Intro A. brake fern takes up arsenic. I. Uptake and transport of nutrients A. Plants acquire nutrients 1. leaves take in CO2 2. Plants get water 3. Sugars made by plant 4. Cell respiration breaks down some sugar 6. Plants take up minerals 7. Plants take up water - 3 functions II. Plant Nutrients and Soil A. Plant health 1. essential plant nutrients- 2. studied hydroponically 3. macronutrients CHOPKiNS Ca Fe Mg 4. micronutrients II. Soil Quality A. factors that determine whether a plant can grow in a particular area B. Texture and composition of soils 1. soil formation - PaTTCO 2. soil horizons 3. Soil Conservation III. Nitrogen and Plants A. Most plants get nitrogen from bacteria 1. atmospheric N unusable 2. need ammonium or nitrate 3. nitrogen fixers 4. decompose humus IV. Nutritional adaptations of plants A. Legumes 1. nodules on roots 2. legumes. 3. Rhizobium 4. some non-legumes fix N 5. beneficial relationship 6. crop rotation B. Fungi help plants absorb nutrients 1. especially helpful for plants in poor soils 2. helps increase uptake of water, nutrients, esp. phosphate 3. transfers some to plants 4. may secrete acid C. Plants and other organisms 1. Epiphytes 2. Parasites 3. Carnivores ch 37 Study Questions: 1. Describe the ecological role of plants in transforming inorganic molecules into organic compounds. 2. Define the term essential nutrient. 3. Distinguish between macronutrient and micronutrient. 4. Name the nine macronutrients and 3 structural elements required by plants. 5. List 4 of the micronutrients required by plants and explain why plants need only minute quantities of these elements. 6. Define soil texture and soil composition. 7. Explain how soil is formed. 8. Describe the composition of loams and explain why they are the most fertile soils. 9. Explain how humus contributes to the composition of soils. 10. Explain how the presence of clay in soil helps prevent the leaching of mineral cations. 11. Explain why soil management is necessary in agricultural systems but not in natural ecosystems such as forests and grasslands. Describe an example of human mismanagement of soil. 12. List the three mineral elements that are most commonly deficient in agricultural soils. Don’t add P in LT Basin! Why? 13. Describe problems resulting from farm irrigation in arid regions. 14. Define nitrogen fixation and explain the importance of nitrogen-fixing bacteria to life on Earth. 15. Explain why a symbiosis between a legume and its nitrogen-fixing bacteria is considered to be mutualistic. 16. Explain why a symbiosis between a plant and a mycorrhizal fungus is considered to be mutualistic. 17. Name one modification for nutrition in each of the following groups of plants: a. epiphytes b. parasitic plants c. carnivorous plants