Vocabulary Topic : Transportation in Plants

Transport of Water

Understand

The transport of water in plants involve 3 interconnected processes :

Absorption of Water and Minerals Upward movement of water

Transpiration

Learn

Absorption of Water and Minerals

The plants take in water(containing dissolved minerals ) from the soil through their
roots.

The roots of the plant have root hairs.The function of the root hairs is to absorb the
water and minerals from the soil.

These root hairs are directly in contact with the soil and the cells actively take up ions.

This creates a difference between the concentration of ions between the root and the
soil.

Therefore, water molecules move into the roots from the soil to eliminate this
difference.

In other words, water molecules moves from higher water potential to lower water and
then to xylem vessels and tracheids.

Since there is steady movement of water from soil to root xylem vessels and
tracheids, this creates a column of water that is steadily pushed upwards.

Upward movement of water

The upward movement of water and minerals is due to the root pressure (root absorb
water and exert a pressure which pushes the water upward)

Plants use another strategy to move water in the xylem upwards to the highest points
of the plant body

Provided that the plant has an adequate supply of water, the water which is lost
through the stomata is replaced by the water from the xylem vessels in the leaf

It is evaporation of water molecules from the cells of the leaf creates a suction which
pulls water from the xylem cells of the roots.

Summary
 Vocabulary Topic : Transportation in Plants

Transpiration Transport of Water (contd ...)

Stomata Transpiration

Transpiration pull helps in the absorption and upward movement of water and
minerals dissolved in it from the roots to the leaves.

It also helps in temperature regulation

Transpiration is the loss of water in the form of vapour from the living tissue of the
aerials parts of the plant.

It occurs mainly by the process of diffusion through stomata

{ tiny pores present at the lower side of the leaf.Kidney shaped guard cells
surrounding them, regulate the opening and closing of the stomata)

The leaves of the plant have tiny pores on their surface called stomata.A lot of water
from the leaves keep on evaporating into the air through the stomata.This loss of
water (as water vapour ) from the leaves of the plant is called transpiration.

Since the leaves are continuously losing water by transpiration, so water from the
xylem vessels in the leaf will travel to the cells by osmosis to make up this loss.

Thus water is constantly been taken away from the top of the xylem vessels in the
leaves to supply to the cells in the leaves.This reduces the effective pressure at the
top of the xylem vessels , so water flows up into them .

Thus, the continuous evaporation of water ( or transpiration) from the cells of a leaf
creates a kind of suction which pulls up water through the xylem vessels.

In this way , the process of transpiration helps in the upward movement of water ( and
dissolved minerals)from the roots to the leaves through the stem.

Keep in mind
:
 The effect of root pressure in transport of water is more important at night
 This is because , during the day when the stomata is open , the transpiration
pull becomes the major driving force in the movement of water in the xylem.

SUMMARY
Vocabulary Topic : Transportation in Plants

Transport of Water (contd ...)

Experiment to test this process : (Activity 6.8)

Understand
The experiment asks us to cover a plant with a plastic sheet

and see the result with respect to a pot covered with plastic

without the plant.]

Experiment :

Take two small pots of approximately the same size and

having the same amount of soil.

One should have a plant in it.

Place a stick of the same height as the plant in the other pot.

Cover the soil in both pots with a plastic sheet so that

moisture cannot escape by evaporation.

Cover both sets, one with the plant and the other with the
stick with plastic sheets and place in bright sunlight for half
an hour.

Observation : Water droplet appeared in plastic sheet

having plant while no water droplet appeared in a plastic
sheet covered by the stick.

Explanation :
Plant release water molecules in the air.
A plastic sheet does not allow these molecules to escape.
As a result, water droplets appear on the plastic sheet.
A pot without plant does not get water molecules as there is
no transpiration process going on.
If in case few droplets appear then it is due to evaporation.
Evaporation is a physical phenomenon, not a life process.
In this case, the number of water droplets will be meagre.

A typical example of this phenomenon is the formation of

dewdrops. Due to the low temperature in the morning water
molecules released from plants condenses and form dew drops.

Conclution :This suffices the transpiration pull theory which

says plant transpiration creates a pulling pressure in the roots,
which result in water and mineral absorption

SUMMARY