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Transport in plants

Tarun Sir
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Transport in Plants
Plant transport involve – transport of food(organic-sucrose ), water , minerals(organic and
inorganic ) and hormones(organic)

Transport of Occur through Organic or inorganic direction

water Xylem inorganic Unidirectional (root to leaf)

food Phloem Organic Multidirectional ( leaf to root Early

spring – root to growing region

Minerals 1.Xylem 1.organic or inorganic By Xylem-unidirectional

2. Phloem 2. transported- organic By phloem- Multidirectional

and inorganic

Hormones Xylem ,phloem Organic Auxin-polar transport (bidirectional)

Short distance and long distance transport

Type of Meaning Example Energy Speed Direction

transport
1.short Cell to cell 1.Diffusion 1+2 - Slow Slow can be
distance Within cell 2.Facilitated diffusion passive bidirectional
Entry or exit from 3.Active transport
cell 4.Cytoplasmic 3+4-
streaming active
2. long Point of entry and 1.Xylem transport 1+2 - Fast Xylem-unidirectional
distance point of use far 2.Phloem transport passive Phloem- bidirectional
apart
(translocation)
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Short distance transport

Feature Simple diffusion Facilitated diffusion Active transport
Concentration gradient Along(high to low) Along Against(low to high)
Protein Absent Channel or carrier pump
Selectivity no yes yes
Saturation no Yes(no of channel fix) yes
Inhibition no Yes(inhibitor bind at yes
side chain
Energy passive passive ATP -yes
Membrane involve If gas or lipid move yes yes
Control No control Some are controlled - By chemical and
By chemical or electrical signal
electrical signal
Use Gas transport , within Polar(Na.K,Cl,Glucose) Polar moleculae
cell movement and molecule move across against gradient
lipid cross membrane membrane by channel
Factors which affect Temperature, Concentration gradient Number of pump and
conc.gradient , and number of channel ATP
solubility of lipid in
membrane ,size of
molecule
Porins- large size pores or channel on outer surface of plastids and mitochondria (small size protein can
pass) Aquaporins- 8 type proteins which form water channel Uniport- single type of molecule move
across channel (Glut-4 glucose channel ) Antiport- two type of molecule move in opposite direction(Cl
and Bicarbonate ). Symport- (same direction ,two molecules move – Glu and Na channel in intestine)

Some terms and explanation -

Water potential Meaning- Water molecule in gaseous and liquid phase have K.E due to which
they are in random motion and move from high water molecule conc. To low
Unit and symbol Pascal or atm ψw
Direction High water potential to low water potential
Depend upon Concentration of water molecule , solute and pressure
Pure water value Zero
Presence of solute Decrease ψw as decrease random motion
Presence of Positive pressure increase ψw
Pressure Negative pressure decrease ψw
Solute potential More is solute – more negative or lower is solute potential - ψp
Value Always negative
Effect on ψw Always decrease ψw
Pressure potential Can give positive, negative and positive value- ψp
value Zero- for atmospheric pressure in open beaker, positive- push , negative – pull
Some conditions ψw zero – Solute absent and pressure is equal to atm pressure like in open
beaker (pure water )
ψw negative – in a cell where no pressure and solute in cytoplasm
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Osmosis ,reverse osmosis

Term Osmosis Reverse osmosis

Occur through Semi permeable membrane Semi permeable membrane
Movement of water Water
Direction Hypotonic to hypertonic Hypertonic to hypotonic
Driving force Solute and pressure Pressure is more than osmotic
pressure
Condition Water move from hypotonic to Water move from hypertonic to
hypertonic solution or low hypotonic as external pressure
osmotic pressure to high is greater than osmotic pressure
osmotic pressure
Direction acc to water potential High to low High to low

Solute potential and osmotic pressure

Term Solute potential Osmotic pressure

Depend on solute solute
Value Negative Positive
Water direction High ψs to low ψs Low

Solute potential and osmotic pressure magnitude same but direction opposite

Plasmolysis – shrinkage of protoplast when plant cell(living) when cell kept in hypertonic solution

Term Turgid Flaccid plamsolysed

Kept in solution hypotonic isotonic hypertonic
Water movement Move inside cell , both Water move both Water move out first from
vacuole and cell swell in and out cytoplasm and then from vacuole
Turgor pressure positive Zero Negative
Osmotic pressure Low O.P Equal to turgor O.P highest
pressure
Imbibition- Type of diffusion ,solid or colloid absorb solvent to tremendous increase in volume,
condition- affinity( solid and solvent ) and conc. Gradient , Use – seed germination, old time breakage of
rock boulder, rainy season wooden door swell , order of imbibition- protein more than cellulose

Long Distance transport –

Type of transport Short distance Long distance
Speed Slow (50 µm in 2.5 sec) Fast
energy Active and passive Passive
Principle Specific Non specific so follow bulk flow or mass flow
Force Gradients of individual molecules Push(positive hydrostatic pressure ) or Pull
(negative hydrostatic pressure )
Principle – solute or suspension swept along with same pace along with water from high pressure to low
pressure (analogy – with river )
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Transport of – water , Mineral and food

Transport of water -three step – Absorption of water and entry into xylem ,ascent of sap and
transpiration

Process Occur through Feature

1.Absorption of water
Entry of water into Xylem
2.Ascent of sap -upward
transport of water
Water absorb form Root hair
only
Apoplast –(between
cell,through cell wall and by
through dead cells )
symplast -through cytoplasm
Proposed theories –
a.Root pressure –
b.Cohesion - tension
transpiration pull theory (CTTP
theory )
Purely passive , first mineral
absorb(active > pssive) than
water follows
Cortex-apoplast,
endodermis- Symplast due to
casparian strip,
pericycle – apoplast and
symplast
Xylem – apoplast (dead cells )
Root pressure magnitude low,
not explain ascent of sap in tall
plants
CTTP theory explain ascent of
sap mainly

3. Transpiration Leaf mainly and other green Loss of water in vapour form
part of plant like stem which generate pull

Root pressure – Details

How it develop Active accumulation of mineral in xylem

Push or pull Push
Visible when High humidity in surrounding , transpiration is low , early morning or late
evening
Observed in plants Herbs -both monocot and dicot
Role Guttation or Exudation- loss of water in liquid phase on leaf surface by
hydathodes
Regeneration of water column
Bleeding in calotropis plant
Role in ascent of sap Negligible as very less magnitude

Cohesion- tension and transpiration theory –

Explain ascent of sap- as strong force come from transpiration pull and water column not break
due to cohesion(attraction between water molecule ) , Adhesion ( water and wall of vessels )
and surface tension
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Transpiration
Meaning Loss of water from leaf surface in vapour form
Type Stomatal is main other are through cuticle,bark and lenticel
Transpiration C3 – loss of 200-400 H2O with entry of one CO2 and in C-4 only loss of 100-
ratio 200 H2O
Role Generate transpiration pull for transport of water and mineral , cool leaf
surface by 10-15 degree , keep plant turgid, help in absorption of water
Factors External - temperature, light, humidity, wind speed.
affecting Plant -number and distribution of stomata, per cent of open stomata, water
transpiration status of the plant, canopy structure
COCl2 test Test to determine number of open stomata
Antitranspirants ABA hormone

Opening and closing of stomata –

Stomatal apparatus – Guard cell + stoamatal pore + subsidiary cell
Guard cell -bean shape in dicot (inner wall thick and elastic outer wall thin and radially arrange
cellulose microfibril and chloroplast present )
Subsidiary cell- epidermal cell lack chloroplast

Opening –
water potential in Guard cell decrease→ water enter into guard cell from subsidiary cell →
outer wall buldge out → inner wall crescent shape → and helped by cellulose microfibril →
guard cell become turgid →stomata open
mineral help in opening – K+ and malate (both enter into vacuole of guard cell )
closing - water potential in Guard cell inc.→ water move out from guard cell into subsidiary
cell → inner wall elastic regain position → Guard cell flaccid → stomata Close

Factors help in opening and closing – (a) day time or light open stomata (b) ABA-close
,cytokinin-open (c) CO2 inside leaf high ,stomata close (d) humidity high outside ,stomata
close (e) atmospheric pressure low , stomata open

Mineral transport –
Absorption Only in ionic form , Active and passive both but mainly active as soil is dilute
solution occur through channel and pump
Transport in root With the help of water , endodermis control type and amount of solute by
forcing water to move along with solute through symplast
Transport in Along with transpiration stream
xylem
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Unloading of Location-growing region like meristem apical and cambium , leaf veins , flower
mineral - and fruit
Unloading by Both active and passive
Mineral Organic form -amino acid
transport in Inorganic form – nitrate and nitrite
Occur through Xylem and phloem

Transport of food
Based on Source and sink concept-
Source Mature Leaf – food synthesised or storage organ from where food can move to
place of need
Sink Root-normal time ,fruit-storage organ ,young leaf
Active or Loading and unloading of food in sieve tube is active but transport in sieve tube is
passive passive
Apoplast or Symplast as sieve tube is living
symplast
Push or pull By push as positive hydrostatic pressure develops

Mechanism – Source Mesophyll cell produce food and converted into sucrose → sucrose
is transported into companion cell -actively → now sucrose move to sieve tube actively →
sucrose in sieve tube decrease ψw → water from nearby xylem enter into sieve tube → this
increase pressure in sieve tube → food with water move to area with low pressure like sink
→ food is unloaded actively → ψw increase in sieve tube → water move back into xylem
Girdling experiment – to find direction of food in phloem ,phloem outside and xylem innerside
girdling remove - secondary phloem , food accumulate upper part ( food move from leaf to
root)
Some NCERT based data-
1. Mycorrhizae is to increase surface area for absorption
2. Pinus seed show obligatory relationship with fungi for absorption of water
3. Casparian strip is made up of suberin -lipid
4. K- malate theory given by levitt
5. Cytoplasmic streaming is active and occur only in eukaryotic cell
6. Suberin-impermeable, Primary cell wall – Permeable , Egg membrane with dil HCL-
semipermeable , tonoplast and plasma membrane -selective permeable
7. Thistle funnel experiment is to show reverse osmosis