Key Concepts in Plant Biology and Genetics

Biological Processes and Plant Responses

• Photosynthesis: When green plants use sunlight to synthesize nutrients.
• Cellular Respiration: When cells break down glucose.
• Stimulus: A detectable change in the internal or external environment that provokes a response in an organism or cell.
• Tropism: The growth of a plant in response to a stimulus such as sunlight, gravity, or touch.

Understanding Reproduction

Sexual Reproduction

Combines genetic material from two cells (sperm and egg).

Asexual Reproduction

Does not involve meiosis or fertilization.

Types of Asexual Reproduction

• Fission: Division in prokaryotes like E. coli.
• Mitotic Cell Division: Division in unicellular eukaryotes like amoebas.
• Budding: Growth on the parent's body, seen in Hydra and yeast.
• Regeneration: Growth from a fragment of the parent, seen in planaria.
• Vegetative Reproduction: Growth from a part of a plant, such as in Bryophyllum.
• Cloning: Laboratory production of identical individuals from cells.

Genetics and Biotechnology

• Genetics: The branch of biology that studies genes, genetic variation, and heredity in organisms.
• Genome: The set of genes in a cell or organism.
• DNA: The molecule that carries genetic information.
• GMO (Genetically Modified Organism): An organism whose genetic material has been altered.
• Genetic Modification: The process of altering the genetic material.
• Herbicide Tolerant: Crops that have been genetically modified to control weeds without harming the crop.
• Insect Resistant Crops: Crops for producing substances toxic for insects.
• Molecular Biology: The branch that deals with the molecular basis of biological activity.
• Organic Agriculture: A farming system that seeks to produce food using natural substances.
• Pest Resistant Crops: Crops that have been engineered to resist pests.
• Traditional Breeding: The process of selecting plants or animals with desirable traits to produce offspring.
• Transgenic Organism: Contains genes from another species that have been introduced using genetic engineering.
• Biopharming: The use of genetically modified plants to produce medicine.
• Gene: A segment of DNA that contains the instructions for building a specific protein.
• Genetic Engineering: The deliberate modification of an organism's genetic information using biotechnology.