median longitudinal section through a Coleus stem tip

Growth

How do plants grow?

  • Principles of Growth: How do plants create a complex body plan?
  • Meristems: How do these specialized regions of cell division make a plant?
  • Cell fate determination: Do cells inherit their identity, or is it the product of position?
  • Cell walls: What role do cell walls play in growth and development?
  • Cell expansion: What controls the timing and direction of cell expansion?
  • Water potential: How does water provide the driving force for cell growth?
  • Organ formation: How does a jumble of cells become organized for a specific function?