When plants form leafy branches, the branch grows from the base of an axillary bud. This bud contains an axillary meristem that drives cellular division at the base of the branch as grows it outwards. This is an iterative process that repeats hundreds of times and allows plants to have multiple sets of the same organs: leaves, branches, etc. Because every branch happens near the axillary bud on the stem of the plant, the locations that branches grow from are highly predictable. In roots however, branching occurs very differently. Roots only have the apical meristem at the end of the root and do not contain axillary meristems to grow branches. Instead, the branches grow out from the stem of the root from the pericycle tissue in the vasuclarture of the root, so branches can grow out from any location of that vasculature. This causes branching patterns in root to be unpredicatable as they do not rely on a specific stem cell organ to cause the branching. Also, roots contain root hairs that are often confused for branches. Root hairs are different as they are created from single cells that grow out in organized directional growth to increase the surface area of the root, increasing with it the ability to uptake water and nutrients.
Comments
etc.... Because
"This is an iterative process that repeats hundreds of times and allows plants to have multiple sets of the same organs: leaves, branches, etc. Because every branch happens near the axillary bud on the stem of the plant, the locations that branches grow from are highly predictable. In roots however, branching occurs very differently."
This sentence/sentences is a bit awkard because of the use of the word because. After the "etc." I cant tell if that sentence ends (because etc. is always followed byy a ".") and a new sentence starts with the word "because" or if this is one long sentence.
reply 3
I think this is a very cool thing to talk about, as I had no idea anything about this. I do however think you should have a more general first phrase to introduce the topic as it is very detailed, and we may get lost easily.
Word choice
"grow out in organized directional growth" could be shortened to "...engage in organized directional growth" instead of repeating grow