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Re: "aerial" roots
- To: Aquatic-Plants at actwin_com
- Subject: Re: "aerial" roots
- From: GramFran413 at aol_com
- Date: Tue, 29 Apr 2003 11:23:17 EDT
In a message dated 4/29/03 3:46:20 AM Pacific Daylight Time,
Aquatic-Plants-Owner at actwin_com writes:
> >>I think it's more likely a response to needing more O2 for >>root
> >>respiration.
> >>Much like Cypress knees in swamps or Mangrove roots' allowing >>O2 for
> >>root
> >>respiration. A number of wetland plants do this.
> >>There's no source of O2 down in the wetland substrates.
>
> >I'm sorry, Tom, but I didn't even take high school chemistry! >As the
> >original post said, lots of this stuff just goes w-a-y over my >head. I
> >don't
> >understand what "02 for root respiration means. Could you >break that
> down
> >for this aquatic plant illiterate -- please?
>
> Well most life, not all, uses aerobic respiration which is very efficicent
> energy wise.
> No O2, no aerobic respiration and the plant does not have much energy or
> growth as result.
>
> When flooding occurs, many plants simply die since this greatly reduces
> their O2 access(terrestrial plants have plenty of air O2), but some are
> able to import O2 to their roots via "Knees", emersed growth, floating
> leaves, very slow growth etc. All the aquatic plants do this in some form.
> They make starch and sucrose and then they need to burn(oxidize)these
> products just like we do when we eat. We don't make starch like plants but
> we still use respiration like they do.
> Gotta breath. It's a pretty efficient method of getting lots of energy.
>
> If your muscles run out of O2 and go anaerobic, you'll make lactic acid(and
> you have sore muscles) through fermentation andanother form is when beer
> and wine makers use yeast and force it under anaerobic conditions to make
> ethanol and CO2 gas like DIY CO2 users.
> But this process is slower yield much less energy than aerobic respiration
> would(via the Kreb's cycle or I prefer to call it the TCA cycle).
>
> If you take one suger unit and you get only 2 units of energy out it via
> fermentation and if you get 36/38 units from aerobic respiration you can
> see the dramatic difference in the processes.
>
> That's about as basic as I'm going to give it to you unless you want to
> snuggle up to a bio book and learn more.
OK, but I'm not going to snuggle up to a bio book :) Lots better things to
do like gardening, riding my bicycle, watching little league games, and
tending my fish. My -- I promise -- last question: What does all this tell
me about those "aerial" roots? Whoops! Make that two questions: What do I
need to do to promote better rooting in the substrate than in the water?
Thanks very much . . . I know I have to be frustrating for lots of you
techno/chemists, but I'd really like to know.
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