Plants Bio 112

• Photosynthesis: The process by which green plants and some other organisms use sunlight to synthesize foods with the help of chlorophyll, carbon dioxide, and water.
• Chloroplast: Organelles found in plant cells where photosynthesis occurs.
• Stomata: Small openings on the surface of leaves and stems through which gases (such as oxygen and carbon dioxide) are exchanged with the environment.
• Xylem: The tissue responsible for transporting water and dissolved minerals from the roots to the rest of the plant.
• Phloem: The tissue responsible for transporting organic nutrients (such as sugars) produced by photosynthesis throughout the plant.
• Root system: The underground part of a plant that anchors it in the soil and absorbs water and nutrients.
• Shoot system: The aboveground part of a plant, including stems, leaves, flowers, and fruits.
• Meristem: Regions of actively dividing cells in plants, responsible for growth and development.
• Cotyledon: The primary leaf or leaves of the embryo of a seed plant.
• Monocotyledon: A plant with seeds that have one cotyledon (e.g., grasses, lilies).
• Dicotyledon: A plant with seeds that have two cotyledons (e.g., beans, roses).
• Angiosperm: A flowering plant that produces seeds within a fruit.
• Gymnosperm: A seed-producing plant that does not produce flowers or fruits.
• Pollination: The transfer of pollen from the male reproductive organ (anther) to the female reproductive organ (stigma) of a flower.
• Fertilization: The fusion of male and female gametes (sperm and egg) to form a zygote, which develops into a seed.
• Germination: The process by which a seed begins to grow into a new plant.
• Transpiration: The process by which water evaporates from the aerial parts of a plant, mainly through stomata in the leaves.