Lecture Notes
BIO 131, General Botany
Jan. 22, 2009 


We went over the first part of this on Thurs. Jan. 22.  We will review it on Tues. Jan. 27.

SECONDARY GROWTH

As far as we're concerned in this course,
SECONDARY GROWTH OCCURS ONLY IN DICOTS AND SOME GYMNOSPERMS (such as pines).
SECONDARY GROWTH DOES NOT OCCUR IN MONOCOTS.

Primary growth comes only from apical meristems.

Secondary growth comes only from lateral meristems.

The vascular cambium produces:


In the picture above, the line ABOVE where the red tissue (phloem fibers) stops is the vascular cambium.
All tissue above that point is secondary xylem (= wood).

Note the alternating bands of fibers (bast) and sieve+companion cells in the phloem, plus the dilated rays.
The periderm is on the bottom.


The first cork cambium is formed by dedifferentiated parenchyma in the outer part of the cortex.   This first cork cambium will usually last only a few years.


Early cork cambium that has arisen in the outer cortex.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The topmost layer of cells is the epidermis.
Just under the epidermis are some crushed-looking cork cells.  (cork = phellem)
Below the cork cells is a layer of larger cells - the cork cambium.  (cork cambium = phellogen)
Below the cork cambium are cells lined up in rows = the phelloderm.

The cork cambium produces:

        The cork layer produced by the cork cambium normally contains many more layers of cells
        than the phelloderm (in other words, much more cork than phelloderm is produced).

        Lenticels are formed when very local areas of the cork cambium "go wild" and produce abundant
        cork cells. Lenticels allow the exchange of gases (mainly CO2 and O2) between the living cells in stems and roots
        and the atmosphere.  There's a nice lenticel picture on p. 587 in your textbook.

The cork cambium + phelloderm + cork = periderm


As the diameters of stems and roots expand from secondary growth, several things happen:

The addition of secondary xylem is mainly what causes stems and roots to grow in diameter.
As the vascular cambium forms secondary xylem, the interior of the stem or root gets larger.  Because of the added volume of xylem in the inner stem or root, tissues outside of the vascular cambium (primary phloem and older secondary phloem) soon are squeezed, the sieve cells and companion cells are more or less crushed and become nonfunctional.  That's the reason why the functional phloem in a woody stem or root is found only very close to the cambium.  Sieve cells actually are functional only for about one growing season.


Note the triangular group of parenchyma cells above.  They make up a phloem ray.
The ray has greatly expanded to help fill the expansion of the stem caused by secondary xylem.

As the circumference of the stem continues to expand, the original cork cambium stops functioning, and a new cork cambium (or several of them) is formed by the dedifferentiation of parenchyma cells in the inner cortex and the phloem rays (in roots, the pericycle also may help form this second-stage cork cambium).  This cork cambium functions for a few years and then it also is pushed too far out by the added secondary xylem, so it stops functioning.

Be sure to study carefully the following: The process of becoming woody, illustrated by Figures 26-7, 26-8, and 26-9, on pp. 584-585 of the textbook, PLUS how a lenticel is formed (Figures 26-10 and 26-11, on pp. 586-587 of the textbook). Also, study the pictures on p. 588 of the textbook.

Be able to define the following terms, what they are composed of, and know what their function(s) are: sapwood, heartwood, softwood, hardwood, bark, wood, early or spring wood, late or summer wood, annual ring, tyloses, bast fibers.


ORIGINS OF SECONDARY (= LATERAL) MERISTEMS
Summary outline

MONOCOTS             no secondary meristems in stems or roots

DICOT (and pine) STEMS

        1     Vascular cambium + interfascicular cambium (both of these together are just called 'the cambium')
                    originate from residual procambium and dedifferentiated pith ray parenchyma

        2     Cork cambium (= phellogen)
                    First cork cambium forms from dedifferentiated parenchyma in outer part of the cortex
                    Later cork cambiums form in secondary phloem (and phloem ray cells)

DICOT (and pine) ROOTS

         1     Vascular cambium (technically, there is no interfascicular cambium, because roots have no pith rays)

         2     Cork cambium

                    First cork cambium forms from pericycle
                             (yep, that's correct, but look in vain for it in books and on the web)

                    Later cork cambiums form in secondary phloem


end of notes for Thursday Jan. 22