what is apical dominance?
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Answer:
Explanation:
Apical dominance occurs when the shoot apex inhibits the growth of lateral buds so that the plant may grow vertically. It is important for the plant to devote energy to growing upward so that it can get more light to undergo photosynthesis. If the plant utilizes available energy for growing upward, it may be able to outcompete other individuals in the vicinity. Plants that were capable of outcompeting neighboring plants likely had higher fitness. Apical dominance is therefore most likely adaptive.
Typically, the end of a shoot contains an apical bud, which is the location where shoot growth occurs. The apical bud produces a hormone, auxin, (IAA) that inhibits growth of the lateral buds further down on the stem towards the axillary bud. It was first discovered in 1934 that the plant hormone auxin likely regulates apical dominance.[2] Auxin is predominantly produced in the growing shoot apex and is transported throughout the plant via the phloem and diffuses into lateral buds which prevents elongation.[3]
When the apical bud is removed, the lowered IAA concentration allows the lateral buds to grow and produce new shoots, which compete to become the lead growth.
Answer:
the auxins produced by the apical buds suppress growth of lateral buds. This is called Apical dominance