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GCSE Biology · key term
The beginning of growth of the embryo in a seed to form a seedling.
Used by OCR
Specification B3.2h · Paper 1 (Foundation), Paper 3 (Higher)
Revise: Effects of plant hormonesSeparately, they help end seed dormancy and initiate germination. They are also involved in flowering and fruit development.
Paper 1 (Foundation), Paper 2 (Foundation), Paper 3 (Higher), Paper 4 (Higher)
The beginning of growth of the embryo in a seed, producing a new plant.
Link each hormone to a named effect rather than writing only that it ‘controls growth’: auxins promote cell enlargement, gibberellins promote germination and stem growth, and ethene promotes fruit ripening.
Distinguish germination from plant growth: germination is the start of growth from a seed, whereas later growth includes processes such as stem elongation.
For each effect, name the hormone and then state the plant response: for example, gibberellins → breaking seed dormancy and germination; ethene → fruit ripening.
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Plants must time important events such as germination, flowering, fruit ripening and leaf fall. They coordinate these changes using plant hormones: chemical signals that affect the activity of plant cells. A hormone does not have just one universal effect.