Question

After bringing a small plant into the biology lab, you prepare microscope slides of the shoot. Near the tip of the shoot, you observe a dense patch of cells that seem to be actively dividing in a way that would cause the shoot to continue growing in length. This patch of cells is the __________.

Answer 1

Apical meristem

Explanation:

• Apical meristem is found at the apices, or tips of the plant, both the tip of the shoot and the root, and is a region of actively dividing cells. The definition is easy to remember when you break it down. An apex (plural: apices) is the tip, the very end, of something.
• Apical meristem causes the plant to grow up and down to get longer. This kind of growth is called primary growth. When a plant grows 'out' or gets thicker, it's called lateral or secondary growth. Both directions of primary growth are important since it stretches the plant's leaves to light and pushes its roots deep below the ground to seek out water and anchor the plant.