Meristem cells in plants
I can explain what meristem cells are and give examples of where they are found in plants.
Meristem cells in plants
I can explain what meristem cells are and give examples of where they are found in plants.
Lesson details
Key learning points
- Plants have unspecialised cells called meristem cells, which are located in the stem and the tips of roots and shoots.
- Meristem cells in roots and shoots divide and differentiate to enable roots and shoots to grow longer and wider.
- Meristem cells in the shoots also divide and differentiate to make leaves and flowers.
- Meristem cells in the stem and roots also divide and differentiate to make tissues such as xylem and phloem.
- Meristem tissue can be used to produce clones for crops or to protect endangered species.
Common misconception
Roots are not a tissue of the plant, or contain living cells, also that wood is not made of living cells.
Show the cells of roots and how they divide to allow the length and width of the root to grow; also the rings on trees that indicate new cell division in the trunk of a tree.
Keywords
Meristem - unspecialised cells that undergo mitosis and can differentiate into any type of plant cell
Shoot - where new plant growth occurs above the ground
Root - where new plant growth occurs underground
Xylem - a plant tissue that transports water upwards through the plant
Phloem - a plant tissue that transports sugars through the plant
Equipment
None required.
Licence
This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2024), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0 except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).
Video
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Starter quiz
6 Questions
Exit quiz
6 Questions
turns meristem cells into specialised cells
increases the size of specialised cells
makes more meristem cells
