Video Transcript
Complete the statement to describe one form of waste removal in plants. Waste products can be stored in the blank of a plant, which can then drop off when no longer required.
The metabolism of plants, much like that of humans, produces waste. However, unlike humans, plants do not have specialized organs designed to excrete this waste. Plants have instead developed numerous methods to secrete, store, and reuse metabolic waste products. The majority of the plant’s metabolism consists of photosynthesis and cellular respiration. These processes are nearly opposites and one uses up the products of the other. In this way, there is a limited waste associated with these reactions. However, gas exchange still occurs to remove excess products and gain necessary reactants. Other metabolic reactions produce waste that cannot be excreted through gas exchange.
Some plants generate mineral salts or acids, which may be toxic if allowed to accumulate. These compounds are converted into solid crystals and stored in the vacuole of certain cells of the plant. This prevents the toxic substance from spreading throughout the plant and causing systemic damage. These wastes are stored in cells of organs of a plant, which can be completely detached and dropped off the plant’s body when they are no longer needed, like the leaves.
So the correct organs that can store waste products and drop off the plant when no longer required are the leaves.