In a stem, where is the terminal bud located and what characteristic does it have?

In a stem, where is the terminal bud located and what characteristic does it have?

• A. At the end of the stem; contains meristematic tissue and can be dominant over the auxiliary or lateral bud
• B. At the base of the stem
• C. In the leaf axil
• D. Along the root axis

Answer: (A)

The main idea is that the terminal bud is at the tip of the stem and houses the apical (terminal) meristem, the tissue responsible for primary growth by elongating the shoot. Because it sits at the very end, it can exert apical dominance, a hormonal control (primarily auxin) that suppresses the growth of auxiliary (lateral) buds along the stem. This is why the terminal bud often governs how the plant allocates resources to vertical growth versus side branching. The other locations don’t fit because the base of the stem is not the tip, leaf axils house axillary buds rather than the primary elongation point, and the root axis has its own root tip and meristem separate from the shoot tip.

The main idea is that the terminal bud is at the tip of the stem and houses the apical (terminal) meristem, the tissue responsible for primary growth by elongating the shoot. Because it sits at the very end, it can exert apical dominance, a hormonal control (primarily auxin) that suppresses the growth of auxiliary (lateral) buds along the stem. This is why the terminal bud often governs how the plant allocates resources to vertical growth versus side branching.

The other locations don’t fit because the base of the stem is not the tip, leaf axils house axillary buds rather than the primary elongation point, and the root axis has its own root tip and meristem separate from the shoot tip.