AP BIOLOGY

Detailed explanation-1: -Lateral meristems are known as secondary meristems because they are responsible for secondary growth, or increase in stem girth and thickness.

Detailed explanation-2: -Secondary, or lateral, meristems, which are found in all woody plants and in some herbaceous ones, consist of the vascular cambium and the cork cambium. They produce secondary tissues from a ring of vascular cambium in stems and roots.

Detailed explanation-3: -Secondary growth is an increase in thickness or girth of the plant body due to activity of lateral meristems. Lateral meristems are located laterally around the stem (not at the tips like apical meristems).

Detailed explanation-4: -The lateral meristem is a type of meristem that occurs at the lateral areas of the plant. Thus, it is responsible for the secondary growth of plant, i.e. the increase in girth.

Detailed explanation-5: -Lateral meristems assist in increasing girth. These lateral meristems assist in the lateral growth of the plant, the growth in the thickness that is secondary growth in plants. For instance, cork cambium and cambium.