Plant Defence Responses Flashcards

All 6 cards in this deck

What is the leaf cuticle and how does it defend a plant?

A waxy layer covering the leaf surface; it is a physical barrier that stops pathogens reaching the cells underneath.

How does the plant cell wall act as a defence against pathogens?

It is a tough cellulose layer around each cell that pathogens cannot easily penetrate.

Name two types of chemical that plants produce to defend themselves.

Antibacterial (antimicrobial) chemicals, and poisons/toxins that deter herbivores and pests.

Give two plant chemicals used as human medicines and what they are used for.

Aspirin (from willow bark) to relieve pain and fever; quinine (from cinchona bark) to treat malaria.

True or false? The waxy cuticle defends a leaf by killing pathogens that land on it.

False. It is a physical barrier — it stops pathogens entering, it does not kill them.

True or false? Some chemicals plants make to defend themselves are used to treat human diseases.

True. e.g. aspirin from willow bark relieves pain.