"Jangchub" wrote in message
...
Sorry to post on top, but your reply is quite lengthy. I didn't see
anywhere in your post which tells me anything about how orchids are
autotrophs. In fact, you went off into trees again, and mycorrhizae.
Are they autotrophs or heterotrophs? Please explain. I just know the crowd
out native stinkweeds.
Yes, trees indeed to depend greatly on the fungal mat, certainly in
harsh conditions, but mycorrhizae does not replace the function of
root hairs, it makes root hairs more efficient. The drip line of a
tree is most important because it's generally where the root hairs are
located. Trees indeed to depend on elements, and elements are made
available by micro and macro orgnanisms in the soil. I "feed" the
soil, not the tree.
I believe you do.
However, don't mistake my words to mean that
trees make their own food, they do not.
Explain what photosynthesis is?
Soil biota takes plant litter
and turns it into a form which gives rise to uptake by root hairs.
Trees do not uptake carbohydrates or can you feed a tree carbohydrates. It
you could you would put the sun out of business.
Fungal mat is something which extends this area beyond the drip line
making elements and water through capillary action available to the
root hairs. Still, it's the root hairs which are the uptake of a
tree, not mycorrhizae.
Without mycorrhizae it would be difficult for many species to uptake
phosphates.
How does a fungal mat found IN soil do anything for an epiphyte?
I do not understand the question. What is a epiphyte?
--
Sincerely,
John A. Keslick, Jr.
Consulting Arborist
http://home.ccil.org/~treeman
and
www.treedictionary.com
Beware of so-called tree experts who do not understand tree biology.
Storms, fires, floods, earthquakes, and volcanic eruptions keep reminding us
that we are not the boss.
On Fri, 18 Jan 2008 13:41:08 -0500, "symplastless"
wrote:
Autotrophs
Very good question. People of course may disagree with my definition.
That
is fine. I will provide you with my definition so you will understand
what
I mean. If somebody else uses the word, you may want to ask them to
define
so you understand what they mean.
Autotrophs make their own food. Heterotrophs have to have it made for
them.
Not the last word on the topic. Most trees and plants are autotrophs.
E.g., An oak tree. An oak tree absorbs (not like a Bounty paper towel
though - that was just pointed out to me) essential elements dissolved in
water with non-woody roots and the help of organs, for example,
mycorrhizae
and root hairs.
Mycorrhizae are composite organs consisting of tree tissue and fungi.
http://www.treedictionary.com/DICT20...corrhizae.html
Root hairs are the extension of a single cell.
A root hair is the extension of a single epidermal cell, epidermal, which
means skin.
http://www.treedictionary.com/DICT20...oot_hairs.html
Oak trees with the water, essential elements and trapped sun light energy
manufacture their food with the process called photosynthesis. Generally
speaking, after many processes glucose (tree food) is manufactured. One
reaction is the glucose is transformed into starch and stored in living
parenchyma. Trees only store starch in living cells. They load, store
and
then use - water, elements and glucose as it is manufactured. The
collection of living cells is called the symplast. Most of these words
are
in my dictionary. I call this type of organism a autotroph.
Even though the bag in the store says tree food, it is not tree food.
Elements are very important. That's why we call them essential elements.
Elements can be found here.
http://www.webelements.com/
The most recognized essential elements for trees are -
C; H; N; O; P; K; S; Mg; Ni; Fe; Ca; Zn; Mo; Mn; B; Cl; Cu
Different species of plants require different amounts of the latter.
E.g.,
legumes such as black locust, coffee tree have a unique requirement for
cobalt. I think it is pertaining to nitrogen fixation. A new topic to
me,
i.e., the requirement of cobalt for legumes.
Now, there are, as always in nature, exceptions. E.g., The Ghost Flower.
http://www.treedictionary.com/DICT20...flowers-1.html
It is a plant with no chlorophyll. It cannot photosynthesis and
manufacture
its own food or nutrients. It gets its required food, nutrients etc., by
way of the bicarbohydrate transfer of plants. It then would fall under
the
heterotroph category. We cannot provide food for the ghost flower. It
is
manufactured by other plants and then transferred. What would you call
the
host to an autotroph?
Animals such as humans are heterotrophs, us, like the Ghost Flower, have
to
have something or someone else manufacture our food for us. We cannot
photosynthesis to manufacture our required food.
Glucose is the international biological currency. I require it, you
require
it, other animals and plants require it. "All" is not a term that can be
used often. I am thinking, just a thought, that all living organisms
living
on Earth require glucose. Without it we would not be here.