Tropism Vocabulary

growth towards or away from water (or following a concentration gradient)

• hydrotropism

• geotropism

• osmotropism

• aquatropism

growth in response to light direction

• hydrotropism

• thigmotropism

• phototropism

• heliotropism

growth in response to gravity

• thigmotropism

• hydrotropism

• geotropism

• phototropism

growth in response to touch or physical contact

• thigmotropism

• geotropism

• hydrotropism

• phototropism

plant hormone that promotes seed or bud dormancy

• gibberellin

• ethylene

• abscisic acid

• auxin

plant hormone responsible for cell elongation and growth

• cytokinin

• auxin

• ethylene

• abscisic acid

growth in response to chemical stimuli

• chemotropism

• phototropism

• geotropism

• thigmotropism

plant hormone that promotes fruit ripening

• gibberellin

• auxin

• ethylene

• cytokinin

process where a plant sheds parts (particularly leaves, fruit and seeds/pods) when their loss is beneficial to the plant

• excretion

• senescence

• cytokinesis

• abscission

plant hormone that stimulates seed germination and growth

• abscisic acid

• gibberellin

• ethylene

• auxin