eHow Garden Plants, Flowers & Herbs Plant Basics Cellular Respiration in Germinating Seeds
Cellular Respiration in Germinating Seeds
By Jacquelyn Jeanty
eHow Contributor
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Cellular respiration activities increase dramatically when seeds begin to germinate.
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Within plant seed life cycles, seeds reside in a state of dormancy prior to germination stages. Little activity occurs during dormancy periods as seeds wait for the right environmental conditions for growth to begin. Once germination starts, cellular respiration rates increase dramatically in order to provide needed materials for initial plant growth stages.
Cellular Respiration Functions
Cellular respiration processes provide a means for cells to convert existing nutrient materials into energy. During dormancy periods, plant seeds respire just enough to maintain food, or nutrient supplies within a specialized seed layer known as the endosperm. Within flowering plants, endosperm structures are the product of a double fertilization process that takes place when a plant ovule, or ovary, is first fertilized. In effect, the endosperm provides for the seed's nutrient needs and carries out necessary cellular respiration functions throughout the dormancy period. The start of germination places substantial energy demands on the seed as plant growth processes take shape. As a result, cellular respiration rates increase to accommodate the cell-building activities required to break open the seed and produce the initial root and stem structures.