Thymus Gland

● Thymus gland lies in the lower part of the neck and upper part of
chest. Thymus gland secretes thymus hormone which plays a role in
the development of the immune system of the body.
● Thymus gland is large in young children but shrinks after puberty
(or sexual maturity).

Pancreas
● The pancreas is just below the stomach in the body.
● Pancreas secretes the hormone called insulin.
● The function of insulin hormone is to lower the blood sugar level
(or blood glucose level).
DIABETES
● Deficiency of insulin hormone in the body causes a disease known
as diabetes.
● Diabetes is characterized by large quantities of sugar in the blood
(and even urine).
● The insulin hormone controls the metabolism of sugar.
ADRENAL GLANDS
● There are two adrenal glands which are located on the top of two
kidneys.
● The adrenal glands secrete adrenaline hormone.
● The function of adrenaline hormone is to regulate heart rate,
breathing rate, blood pressure and carbohydrate metabolism.
● Adrenaline hormone is secreted in small amounts all the time but
in large amounts when a person is frightened or excited.
● When adrenaline is secreted in large amounts it prepares our body
for action.
● It speeds up heartbeat and breathing, raises blood pressure and
allows more glucose (carbohydrate) to go into the blood to give us a
lot of energy quickly to fight or flight (run away).
● Adrenal glands are often called ‘glands of emergency’.

TESTES
● Testes are the glands which are present only in males (men).
● Testes make male sex hormones called testosterone.
● The testes also make the male gametes called sperms.
● The function of testosterone hormone is to control the
development of male sex organs and male features such as deeper
voice, moustache, beard, and more body hair (than females).
● All these changes caused by testosterone are associated with male
puberty which the boys attain at an age of 13 to 14 years.
Ovaries
● Ovaries are the glands which are present only in females (women).
● Ovaries make two female sex hormones called oestrogen and
progesterone.
● The function of oestrogen hormone is to control the development
of female sex organs, and female features such as feminine voice,
soft skin and mammary glands (breasts).
● All these changes caused by oestrogen are associated with female
puberty which the girls attain at an age of 10 to 12 years.
● The functions of progesterone hormone is to control the uterus
changes in menstrual cycle.
● It also helps in the maintenance of pregnancy. The ovaries also
make the female gametes called ova (or eggs).

FEEDBACK MECHANISM
● The excess or deficiency of hormones has a harmful effect on our
body.
● For example, the deficiency of insulin hormone results in a disease
called diabetes whereas excess of insulin in the body can lead to
coma.
● The timing and amount of hormones released by various glands
are controlled by the ‘feedback mechanism’ which is in-built in our
body.
For example, if the sugar level in the blood rises too much, they are
detected by the cells of pancreas which respond by producing and
secreting more insulin into blood. And as the blood sugar falls to a
certain level, the secretion of insulin is reduced automatically.
CONTROL AND COORDINATION IN PLANTS

● The plants do not have a nervous system and sense organs like
eyes, ears, or nose, etc., like the animals, but they can still sense
things.
● The plants coordinate their behaviour against environmental
changes by using hormones.

PLANTS

Movements Hormones

CONTROL AND COORDINATION IN

PLANTS
● The plants do not have a nervous system and sense organs like
eyes, ears, or nose, etc., like the animals, but they can still sense
things.
● The plants coordinate their behaviour against environmental
changes by using hormones.
PLANT HORMONES (OR PHYTOHORMONES)
● The control and coordination in plants is done by plant hormones
(or phytohormones).
● The growth of a plant can be divided into three stages:
1. Cell division
2. Cell enlargement
3. Cell differentiation (or cell specialization)

● There are four major types of plant hormones (or phytohormones)

which are involved in the control and coordination in plants.
1) Auxins
2) Gibberellins
3) Cytokinin's
4) Abscisic acid (ABA)

1. Auxins
● Auxins are the plant hormones which promote cell enlargement
and cell differentiation in plants. Auxins also promote fruit growth.
● Auxin hormone controls a plant’s response to light and gravity.
● Auxin is made by cells at the tip of stems and roots.
● Auxin moves away from light, and towards gravity.
● Auxin speeds up growth in stem but it slows sown growth in roots.
● Synthetic auxins are applied in agriculture and horticulture.
2. Gibberellins
● Gibberellins are plant hormones which promote cell enlargement
and cell differentiation in the presence of auxins.
● Gibberellins help in breaking the dormancy in seeds and buds.
They also promote growth in fruits.
● Gibberellin hormone is involved mainly in shoot extensions.
Gibberellin stimulates elongation of shoots of various plants.

3. Cytokinin’s
● Cytokinin's are the plant hormones which promote cell division in
plants.
● Cytokinin’s also help in breaking the dormancy of seeds and buds.
They delay the ageing in leaves.
● Cytokinin’s promote the opening of stomata. They also promote
fruit growth.

4. Abscisic Acid (ABA)

● Abscisic acid is a plant hormone which functions mainly as a
growth inhibitor.
● It promotes the dormancy in seeds and buds (this is the opposite
of breaking of dormancy). It also promotes the closing of stomata.
● It promotes the wilting and falling of leaves (which is called
abscission). It also causes the detachment of flowers and fruits from
the plants.
TROPISMS (OR TROPIC MOVEMENTS)
● A growth movement of a plant part in response to an external
stimulus in which the direction of stimulus determines the direction
of response is called tropism.
● Thus, tropism is a directional movement of the part of a plant
caused by its growth.
● If the growth (or movement) of a plant part is towards the
stimulus, it is called positive tropism.
● If the growth (or movement) of a plant part is away from the
stimulus, then it is called negative tropism.

TYPES OF TROPISMS
1. Phototropism:
● The movement of a plant part in response to light is called
phototropism
● If the plant part moves towards light, it is called positive
phototropism.
● On the other hand, if the plant part moves away from light, then it
is called negative phototropism.
● The stem (or shoot) of a growing plant bends towards light, so the
stem (or shoot) of a plant shows positive phototropism.
● On the other hand, the roots of a plant move away from light, so
the roots of a plant show negative phototropism.

2. Geotropism
● The movement of a plant part in response to gravity is called
geotropism.
● If the plant part moves in the direction of gravity, it is called
positive geotropism.
● On the other hand, if the plant part moves against the direction of
gravity, it is negative geotropism.

3. Chemotropism
● The movement of a plant part in response to a chemical stimulus is
called chemotropism.
● If the plant part shows plant part shows movement (or growth)
towards the chemical, it is called positive chemotropism.
● If the plant part shows movement (or growth) away from the
chemical, then it is called negative chemotropism.

4. Hydrotropism
● The movement of a plant part in response to water is called
hydrotropism.
● If the plant part moves towards water, it is called positive
hydrotropism.
● If the plant part moves away from water, then it is called negative
hydrotropism.

5. Thigmotropism
● The directional growth movement of a plant part in response
to the touch of an object is called thigmotropism.
● The climbing parts of the plants such as tendrils grow towards any
support which they happen to touch and wind around that support.
So, tendrils of plants are positively thigmotropism.

RESPONSE OF PLANTS TO LIGHT:

● Plants need sunlight, so the stems (or shoots) respond to
PHOTOTROPISM sunlight by growing towards it.
● This observation shows that the stem of plant responds to light
and bends towards it.
● The plant stem responds to light and bends towards it due to the
action of ‘auxin hormone.
● When sunlight comes from above, then the auxin hormone present
in the tip of the stem PHOTOTROPISM spreads uniformly down the
stem.
Due to the equal presence of auxin, both the sides of the stem grow
equally rapidly. And the stem grows straight up.

● When the light falls only on the right side of the stem, then the
auxin hormone collects in the PHOTOTROPISM left side of the stem,
away from light.
This is because auxin hormone prefers to stay in shade.
● The growth (or movement) of a plant part due to CHEMOTROPISM
chemical stimulus is known as chemotropism.
● The growth (or movement) of a pollen tube towards the
ovule induced by a sugary substance as stimulus, is an
example of chemotropism.
● The ripe stigma in the carpel of flower secretes a chemical
substance (which is a sugary substance) into the style towards the
ovary.
● This sugary substance acts as a stimulus for the pollen grains which
fall on the stigma of the CHEMOTROPISM carpel.
● The pollen grain responds to this stimulus by growing a pollen tube
in the downward direction into the style of the carpel and reaches
the ovule in the ovary of the flower for carrying out fertilization.
● This growth of the pollen tube in response to a chemical substance
secreted by the stigma of a flower is an example of Chemotropism.
HYDROTROPISM
● The roots of plants always go towards water, even if it means going
against the pull of gravity. HYDROTROPISM

THIGMOTROPISM
● Tendrils are the thin, thread-like growth on the stems or leaves of
climbing plants.
● Thus, there are two types of tendrils : stem tendrils and leaf
tendrils.
● Tendrils are sensitive to the touch (or contact) of other objects.
● Tendrils are positive thigmotrophic which means that they grow
towards things they happen to touch.

THIGMOTROPISM NASTIES (OR NASTIC MOVEMENTS)

● The movement of a plant part in response to an external stimulus

in which the direction of response is not determined by the direction
of stimulus is called nastic movement.
● The folding up of the leaves of a sensitive plant (Mimosa pudica)
on touching is an example of nastic movement. Here the stimulus is
touch.
● The opening up of the petals of dandelion flowers in morning in
bright light and closing in the evening when the light fades is an
example of nastic movement. In this case the stimulus is light.
● The closing of the petals of moonflower in the morning in bright
light and opening at dark when the light fades is also an example of
nastic movement. In this case also the stimulus is light.
THIGMONASTY
● The non-directional movement of a plant part in response to the
touch of an object is called thigmonasty.
● The nastic movement in plants caused by touch (or thigmonasty) is
provided by the sensitive plant (Mimosa pudica) which is also known
as touch-me-not plant. It is called chhui-mui in Hindi.
● If we touch the leaves (or rather leaflets) of the sensitive plant with
our fingers, then its leaves fold up and droop almost immediately.
● The folding up of the leaves of a sensitive plant on touching is due
to the sudden loss of water from pad-like swellings called
‘pulvini’ present at the base of all leaves of the sensitive plant
which make the pulvini lose their firmness causing the leaves to drop
and fall.
PHOTONASTY
● The non-directional movement of a plant part (usually petals of
flowers) in response to light is called photonasty.
● The opening and closing of flowers in response to light (or
photonasty) are growth movements.
● Petals open when their inner surfaces grow more than their outer
surfaces.
On the other hand, petals close when their outer surfaces grow
more than their inner surfaces.

FUNCTIONS OF PLANT HORMONES (OR PHYTOHORMONES)

● Germination of seeds (or Breaking the dormancy of seeds).
● Growth of root, stem and leaves
● Movement of stomata (or stomatal movement) in leaves
● Flowering of plants
● Ripening of fruits