Analogous Organs in Plants

Analogous Organs in Plants

Introduction

The experiment titled “Analogous Organs in Plants” aims to investigate analogous organs in plants. Some plants and animals possess organs or parts that seemingly have a quite similar appearance and perform the same functions but have different origins and anatomy. Such organs are called analogous organs. We have studied analogous organs in plants by taking examples like the tendrils of Vitis and pea plants, the spines of Opuntia and the thorns of Punica granatum (pomegranate), the tubers in potato, corm in Colocasia, the rhizome of ginger, the modified root of carrot, the phylloclade of Opuntia, the cladode of Ruscus, and the leaf of Hibiscus.

Procedure

• Study the morphology, origin and function of the following analogous structures in the given plant species.
• Tendrils of Vitis and pea.
• Spines of Opuntia and thorns of pomegranate.
• The tuber of potato, the corm of Colocasia, the rhizome of ginger and the modified carrot root.
• Phylloclade of Opuntia, cladode of Ruscus and a leaf of Hibiscus.

Observation

In pea plants, leaves are modified into tendrils and help in support, whereas, in Vitis, tendrils arise from the apical bud of the stem and help in support. In Punica granatum (pomegranate), axillary buds get modified into thorns and protect against herbivores, whereas, in Opuntia ficus-indica, leaves are modified into spines and provide protection against herbivores and other harms.

Tubers in potatoes, rhizomes in ginger, and corms in Colocasia are modified stems that store the food materials, whereas, in carrots, the roots are modified to store extra food. The stems in Opuntia and Ruscus are modified into green-coloured structures called phylloclades and cladodes, respectively, to perform photosynthesis, whereas in Hibiscus, the apical meristem of the shoot that gives rise to the green leaves, which are the photosynthetic structures of the plant.

In all the above examples, we can observe that all the organs have a different origin and anatomy but a similar appearance and perform the same functions, which indicates analogy.

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