Katherine Esau's Contributions to Plant Anatomy — NEET Biology
📚 Practice ConceptKATHERINE ESAU was born in Ukraine in 1898. She studied agriculture in Russia and Germany and received her doctorate in 1931 in United States. She reported in her early publications that the curly top virus spreads through a plant via the food-conducting or phloem tissue. Dr Esau's Plant Anatomy published in 1954 took a dynamic, developmental approach designed to enhance one's understanding of plant structure and an enormous impact worldwide, literally bringing about a revival of the discipline. The Anatomy of Seed Plants by Katherine Esau was published in 1960. It was referred to as Webster's of plant biology – it is encyclopediac. In 1957 she was elected to the National Academy of Sciences, becoming the sixth woman to receive that honour. In addition to this prestigious award, she received the National Medal of Science from President George Bush in 1989.
Consider the following statements: 1. Early descriptions of life forms were based only on gross structural features and perceivable living phenomena. 2. Before physiology was established, biology was mainly studied as natural history. 3. Katherine Esau demonstrated that curly top virus spreads through xylem tissue. 4. All angiosperms, despite large diversity, are characterised by the presence of roots, stems, leaves, flowers, and fruits. 5. Adaptations in plants may include modifications for habitats, protection, climbing, and storage. Which of the above statements are correct?
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Correct answer: A — 1, 2 and 3
Statement 1 is correct – NCERT states that descriptions were based on gross structural features and observable phenomena. Statement 2 is correct – before physiology, biology remained natural history. Statement 3 is incorrect – Katherine Esau reported curly top virus spreads via phloem, not xylem. Statement 4 is correct – despite morphological diversity, angiosperms are characterised by roots, stems, leaves, flowers, and fruits. Statement 5 is correct – NCERT mentions adaptations for various habitats, protection, climbing, and storage. Thus, the correct set is 1, 2, 4, 5.
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