A horticulturist wants to breed aquatic plants that are better able to float. Which tissue modification should they focus on enhancing?
Aerenchyma formation
Aquatic plants need to stay afloat on water, so their body design focuses on reducing overall density and improving buoyancy rather than mechanical rigidity.
This is achieved by a modified parenchyma called aerenchyma, which has large interconnected intercellular air cavities that store air throughout the stem, leaves and roots.
These trapped air spaces lower the plant's density, help it float on the water surface and also assist in gaseous exchange where oxygen is limited; neither collenchyma thickening nor reducing air spaces in parenchyma would support floating.
Hence, the correct answer is Aerenchyma formation.
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