Plants obtain the materials and nutrients they need in different ways. Many make their own organic food, while others depend on a host or on partnerships with microbes. This lesson introduces these nutritional strategies and explains how legumes and bacteria cooperate to make atmospheric nitrogen available to plants.
Autotrophic plants make organic food from inorganic raw materials. Green plants use photosynthesis, combining carbon dioxide and water in the presence of sunlight to produce sugars. These sugars provide energy and carbon compounds used to build plant tissues.
All flashcards
What is an autotrophic plant?
A plant that makes organic food from inorganic raw materials, usually by photosynthesis using carbon dioxide, water, and light.
What is a holoparasite?
A total parasite that lacks chlorophyll and depends on a host for the organic carbon and nutrients it needs.
What is biological nitrogen fixation?
The prokaryote-driven conversion of atmospheric dinitrogen (N2) into ammonia (NH3), a biologically useful nitrogen compound.
What happens in a legume root nodule?
Rhizobia live in the nodule and use nitrogenase to convert atmospheric nitrogen into ammonia that can be incorporated into plant compounds.
What does each partner gain in the rhizobia–legume mutualism?
The legume gains ammonia; rhizobia gain carbon compounds produced by photosynthesis and a protected niche in the root.
Quiz questions
What distinguishes a hemiparasitic plant from a holoparasitic plant?Answer: It photosynthesizes but obtains water and minerals from a host.
How does an epiphyte relate to the plant on which it grows?Answer: It uses the plant as a growing surface but does not obtain nutrition from it.
What nutritional benefit do insects provide to Venus flytraps?Answer: They supply minerals that are scarce in the plant's native soil.
How does dodder obtain resources from its host?Answer: Suckers invade the host stem and connect with its vascular bundles.
Which mineral nutrient do mycorrhizal fungi help plants acquire especially effectively?Answer: Phosphate, including phosphorus-containing nutrients from soil.
Based on Biology 2e by Mary Ann Clark, Matthew Douglas, Jung Choi (OpenStax), licensed CC BY 4.0. Adapted into a summary, flashcards and quizzes.