Unit2.

3Transport in plants
How do plants get what they need?
What do plants need for
healthy growth?
 minerals
 water
 sunlight
 oxygen for respiration
 carbon dioxide for
photosynthesis
Where do plants get these nutrients?
Like all organisms, plants have to get materials for growth
from their environment. Plants must then get these
nutrients to the part of the plant that needs them.

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How are plants adapted for transport?
The structures of cells and tissue in different parts of the
plant are adapted to allow transportation of essential
materials.
Leaves are entry and exit
points for the gases
needed by plants.

Stems connect the roots to

the leaves, flowers and fruits.
They contain cells specially
adapted for transportation of
water, minerals and sugars.

Roots absorb water and

minerals from the soil.

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Which cells transport nutrients?
Plants contain two types of cell adapted for transportation.
Xylem cells transport water
and minerals up the stem from
the roots to the shoots and
leaves. This transport occurs
in one direction only.
Phloem cells transport sugars
produced in the leaves up
and down the stem to growing
and storage tissues.
The cells are arranged in plants as vascular bundles.
Both phloem and xylem form continuous systems
connecting roots, stems and leaves.
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 Structure of the xylem tissue

Xylem vessels consist of dead cells. They have a

thick, strengthened cellulose cell wall with a hollow
lumen. The end walls of the cells have disappeared,
so a long, open tube is formed. The walls of the
xylem vessel contains holes called pits which
water enters through.

The xylem vessel is specialised

to transport water and dissolved minerals from
the root up to all the other parts of the plant, and
also to helps supporting the stem and
strengthening it.

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Structure of the xylem tissue

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 Structure of the phloem tissue

This is a long tube that runs alongside the xylem tissue.

They are made of long narrow tubes with perforated
sieve plates along the thin length.

The function of the phloem tissue is to transport food

nutrients such as glucose and amino acids from the
leaves and to all other cells of the plant, this is called
translocation.

Unlike the xylem, the phloem tissue is made of columns of

living cells, contains a cytoplasm but no nucleus, and its
activities are controlled by a companion cell next to it
which has a nucleus, but companion cells have no
function in translocation.

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Structure of the phloem tissue

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 vascular bundles

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Root

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Stem

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Stem Structure

•Epidermis. One cell thick. In young plants the epidermis

cells may secrete a waterproof cuticle, and in older plants
the epidermis may be absent, replaced by bark.

•Cortex. Composed of various “packing” cells, to give

young plants strength and flexibility, and are the source of
plant fibres such as sisal and hemp.

•Pith. The central region of a stem, used for food storage

in young plants. It may be absent in older plants (i.e.
they’re hollow).

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Leave

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 Root hair
• The root hair in a root hair
cells is essentially just a long
finger-like projection from
the cell.
• This increases the surface
area of the cell. This helps
speed up osmosis and the
diffusion of mineral ions
into the cell.
Root hair
The pathway of water through a plant, from the
soil to a leaf.
Objective
• State the pathway taken by water through the root, stem and leaf
(root hair, root cortex cells, xylem, mesophyll cells).
Mechanism of water uptake
• Water enters root hair cells by
osmosis (as the water potential in
the soil surrounding the root is
higher than in the cell);
• As the water enters the cell, its
water potential becomes higher
than in the cell next to it, e.g. in the
cortex;
• So the water moves by osmosis, into
the next cell;
• This process is repeated until water
reaches the xylem.
 Pathway taken by water

• Water is taken up through the xylem until it

reaches a leaf, where it diffuses out into the
surrounding mesophyll cells.
• Water diffuses from the mesophyll cells to the
surrounding intercellular air spaces as water
vapour, and finally, out of the leaf through the
stomata.
Pathway taken
by water
• Cohesion is the force of attraction between
two particles of the same substance (e.g.
between two water molecules)
• This cohesive property causes water
molecules to be dragged up the xylem
towards the leaves in a continuous stream
• Adhesion is the force of attraction
between two particles of different
substances (e.g. water molecule and
xylem wall)
• As water molecules move up the
xylem via capillary action, they pull
inward on the xylem walls to
generate further tension

Adhesion
Identify adhesion and cohesion
Transpiration
• The flow of water through
the xylem from the roots
to the leaf, against gravity,
is called the transpiration
stream
• Water rises through xylem
vessels due to two key
properties of water –
cohesion and adhesion
•
 Transpiration
• Transpiration is the loss of water vapour from the leaf.
• Water in the mesophyll cells form a thin layer on their surfaces;
• The water evaporates into the air spaces in the spongy mesophyll;
• This creates a high concentration of water molecules in the air spaces.
• Water vapour diffuses out of the leaf into the surrounding air, through the
stomata, by diffusion.
 Transpiration

• In order to control water vapour

loss, the stomata close.
• This happens when the humidity
of the air outside is too low,
conditions are too windy/ hot, etc.
Mechanism of water movement through a plant

1. Transpiration continuously removes water from the leaf;

2. Thus water is constantly being taken from the top of the xylem vessels,
to supply the cells in the leaves.
3. This reduces the effective pressure at the top of the xylem vessels;
4. This creates a transpiration stream or ‘pull’, pulling water up;
5. Water molecules have a strong tendency to stick together. This is called
cohesion
6. When the water is ‘pulled’ up the xylem vessels, the whole column of
water stays together
7. Roots also produce a root pressure, forcing water up the xylem vessels.
Objective
• Describe the effects of variation of temperature, humidity and light
intensity on transpiration rate.
Effect of temperature:

• The rate of transpiration can be affected by a variety of factors,

including:
• temperature
• humidity
• wind speed
• light intensity
• water supply
 Effect of temperature:

• The higher the

temperature, the greater
the transpiration rate,
because water vapour
molecules will have more
kinetic energy and hence
move out of the leaf faster.
• Also warm air abosorb
more water.
 Effect of humidity:

• The higher the humidity of the air outside

the leaf relative to the air inside the leaf,
the lower the transpiration rate.
• This is because water usually diffuses down
a concentration gradient, but if the air
outside is already saturated with water,
there is more likely to be a net movement
of water into the leaf (providing the
stomata are open) rather than out.
 FACTOR EXPLANATION
Increase in Increases the kinetic energy of the water
temperature molecules, so they diffuse faster
Increase in air Removes water molecules as they pass out
movement e.g. of the leaf, maintaining a steep
wind concentration gradient for diffusion
Decrease in Results in lower concentration of water
humidity molecules outside the leaf, making a steeper
concentration gradient for diffusion
Increase in light Stomata open to allow gas exchange for
intensity photosynthesis , so water vapour can diffuse
out of the leaf
 Wilting

• Wilting Occurs when the transpiration

rate is faster than the rate of water
absorption.
• The amount of water in the plant keeps
on decreasing.
• The water content of cells decreases
and cells turn from turgid to flaccid. The
leaves shrink and the plant will
eventually die.
 Translocation
 Translocation is the movement of sucrose and amino
acids in phloem, from regions of production or of
storage to regions of use for respiration or growth.

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Phloem sap from Source Sink

Source: produces or
transports out sucrose, amino
acids, plant hormones.
Sink : organ and tissue which
consume or store assimilate.

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 Examples
Source
Photosynthetic tissues:
• Mature green leaves
• Green stems
Storage organs that are
unloading their sugar stores:
• Germinating seeds
• Tap roots or tubes at the
start of the grow season
Sink
Parts of the plant that are
doing a lot of cellular
respiration to make ATP, for
example to fuel:
• Developing fruits
• Developing seeds
• Growing leaves
Parts of the plant that are able
to store sugars later use:
• Developing tap roots or
tubers
 Active Translocation
• It is possible for some structures to be both a source and a sink.
• For example, a tuber or bulb may be storing sugar or breaking
down starch to provide sugar, depending on the season: tubers
and bulbs act as sinks in the summer and as sources in the early
spring.
Ants ‘farm’ aphids (symbiotic)

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Summary of plant transport
• In plants, xylem vessels transport water and mineral ions from the roots upwards to the leaves. Phloem
tubes transport sucrose and other organic nutrients, from the leaves where they are made to all parts of the
plant. This is called translocation.
• Xylem vessels are made of dead, empty cells with strong lignin in their walls. As well as transporting water,
they help to support the plant.
• Water is drawn up xylem vessels by the evaporation of water from the leaves, called transpiration.
Transpiration happens fastest when it is hot, dry, windy and sunny.
• Water enters root hairs by osmosis, and then moves across the cortex of the root into the xylem.
• Root hairs take up mineral ions by active transport, using energy supplied by respiration to move them
against their concentration gradient.
• Phloem is made of living cells with sieve plates at their ends. A companion cell is associated with each
phloem sieve tube element.
• Systemic pesticides are translocated in phloem.
• Sucrose is translocated from sources to sinks. Different parts of a plant may become sources and sinks in
different seasons
Starter

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