Explain the Defensive mechanism in plants ?

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The animal kingdom as a whole is directly or indirectly
parasitic upon the plant kingdom, so plants must either fall
a victim to various classes of animals. As plant cannot move
when animals attacked them. Nature has therefore blessed the
plants with some or other defensive means against
attacking animals. These are as follows.
1.Thorns :- These are modifications of branches. These
are straight, hard and pointed and can pierce the body of
thick-skinned animals

Duranta, lemon are provided with thorns for
their defence.

2.Spines:- They are modification of leaves. Ends of the
spines are very sharp, and is acts like dagger of pointed
spike when any grazing animal approaches it. Examples are
Date, palm, pineapple, prickly poppy.

3.Prickles :- These are also hard pointed like thorns but
these are curved and have a superficial origin. These are
irregularly distributed in the stem. The Prickles are found
in rose, Cotton tree, prosopis etc

4.Bristles:- There are stiff, needle like hair, usually
growing in clusters. There walls are thick because of
deposition of silica.


5.Stinging hair:- Each hair has a sharp siliceous apex which
readily breaks off even when touched lightly. The sharp
point penetrates into the body of an animal

6.Hair:- Stirf, clusters of hairs present on the body of
the plant is always repulsive to animals as these hair stick
on their throat and cause a choking sensations. Many plants
bear glandular hairs which secrete sticky substance

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