bulb

(noun)

the bulb-shaped root portion of a plant such as a tulip, from which the rest of the plant may be regrown

Related Terms

Examples of bulb in the following topics:

  • Asexual Reproduction in Plants

    • Bulbs, such as a scaly bulb in lilies and a tunicate bulb in daffodils, are other common examples of this type of reproduction.
    • (a) The corm of a garlic plant looks similar to (b) a tulip bulb, but the corm is solid tissue, while the bulb consists of layers of modified leaves that surround an underground stem.
    • Both corms and bulbs can self-propagate, giving rise to new plants.

  • Thermoreception

    • Some of the receptors that exhibit the ability to detect changes in temperature include Krause end bulbs and Ruffini endings.
    • End-bulbs are found in the conjunctiva of the eye, in the mucous membrane of the lips and tongue, and in the epineurium of nerve trunks.
    • In addition to Krause end bulbs that detect cold and Ruffini endings that detect warmth, there are different types of cold receptors on free nerve endings.
    • A drawing of a Krause end bulb receptor which can detect cold.
    • Describe the various types of receptors used for thermoreception:  Krause end bulbs, Ruffini endings, free nerve endings

  • Stem Modifications

    • A bulb, which functions as an underground storage unit, is a modification of a stem that has the appearance of enlarged fleshy leaves emerging from the stem or surrounding the base of the stem, as seen in the iris .
    • Shown are (a) ginger (Zingiber officinale) rhizomes, (b) a carrion flower (Amorphophallus titanum) corm (c) Rhodes grass (Chloris gayana) stolons, (d) strawberry (Fragaria ananassa) runners, (e) potato (Solanum tuberosum) tubers, and (f) red onion (Allium) bulbs.

  • Somatosensory Receptors

    • A fifth type of mechanoreceptor, Krause end bulbs, are found only in specialized regions.
    • Meissner's corpuscles, Ruffini endings, Pacinian corpuscles, and Krause end bulbs are all encapsulated.
    • Krause end bulbs detect cold.

  • Reception and Transduction

    • An olfactory receptor, which is a dendrite of a specialized neuron, responds when it binds certain molecules inhaled from the environment by sending impulses directly to the olfactory bulb of the brain.
    • In the human olfactory system, (a) bipolar olfactory neurons extend from (b) the olfactory epithelium, where olfactory receptors are located, to the olfactory bulb.

  • Transportation of Photosynthates in the Phloem

    • In seeds and bulbs, food is stored in polymers (such as starch) that are converted by metabolic processes into sucrose for newly-developing plants.
    • Seeds, tubers, and bulbs can be either a source or a sink, depending on the plant's stage of development and the season.

  • The First Law of Thermodynamics

    • For instance, light bulbs transform electrical energy into light energy, and gas stoves transform chemical energy from natural gas into heat energy.

  • Abscisic Acid, Ethylene, and Nontraditional Hormones

    • Ethylene also triggers leaf and fruit abscission, flower fading and dropping, and promotes germination in some cereals and sprouting of bulbs and potatoes.

  • Neurons

    • Examples include (a) a pyramidal cell from the cerebral cortex, (b) a Purkinje cell from the cerebellar cortex, and (c) olfactory cells from the olfactory epithelium and olfactory bulb.

  • Brain: Cerebral Cortex and Brain Lobes

    • This lobe contains the olfactory bulb, which processes smells.