Plant nutrition

Nutrition = taking in useful substances for growth

Inorganic substances needed for photosynthesis ( Carbon dioxide, water, minerals )

Organic substances = substances made by living things

Photosynthesis

Definition : process by which plants manufacture glucose from raw materials using energy from sunlight
Word equation : water + carbon dioxide = glucose + oxygen
Chemical equation : 6H20 + 6CO2 = C6H12O6 + 6O2

6.1 fats
6.2 water, carbon dioxide, minerals
6.3 chlorophyll is a green pigment in chloroplasts that captures and stores sunlight. It releases sunlight
to manufacture glucose in photosynthesis

Leaves

leaf consists of broad, flat part called the lamina

Epidermis is covered by cuticle ( waxy substance ) that prevents water loss
Epidermis do not contain chloroplasts and protect the inner layers of cells
Guard cells ( sausage shaped with chloroplasts that open and close the stoma )

Leaf Adaptations :

Leaf is heled out into the air by stem and leaf stalk to expose it to as much air as possible

6.4 petiole
6.5 epidermal cell
6.6 minimize water loss
6.7 openings on the underside of leaf that regulate gas exchange and evaporation of water
6.8 sausage shaped cells that open and close the stomatas
6.9 palisade, spongy, guard – epidermal
Route of CO2 = carbon dioxide diffuses through the stomata and through the air spaces to reach the
chloroplasts of photosynthesizing cells(mesophyll)
Water is absorbed by the root hairs and carried up the leaf by the xylem. It then travels from the xylem
vessels to the mesophyll cells by osmosis

Adaptation Function
Supported by stem and petiole Expose as much of the leaf to the sunlight and air
Large surface area Expose as large an area as possible to sunlight
and air
Thin To allow sunlight to penetrate to all cells; allow
CO2 to diffuse in and O2 to diffuse out
Stomata in lower epidermis Allow CO2 to diffuse in and O2 to diffuse out
Air spaces in spongy mesophyll Allow gases to diffuse quickly
No chloroplasts in epidermal cells Allow sunlight to penetrate to photosynthesizing
cells
Chloroplasts containing chlorophyll present in the Absorption of sunlight
mesophyll layer

Palisade cells arranged end on
Chloroplasts inside palisade cells often arranged
broadside on
Vascular bundles within short distance of every
mesophyll cells
To keep as few cell walls as possible between
sunlight and chloroplasts
To supply water to the cells in the leaf, to take
away sucrose and other organic products of
photosynthesis

Uses of glucose:

Used for energy in respiration

Stored as starch
Combined with nitrate ions to make proteins; also used to make sucrose and cellulose, fats and oils.
Changed to sucrose for transport ( because of reactivity )
Used as nectar to attract insects for pollination
t

Element Nitrogen Magnesium

Mineral salt Nitrate or ammonium ions Magnesium ions
Use Used to make amino acids Used to make chlorophyll
(proteins )
Deficiency Weak growth, yellow leaves Yellowing between veins of
leaf

6.16 – it is very reactive and soluble

6.17- nitrogen ( in the form of nitrate ions)
6.18- no nitrogen means no protein produced, without enzymes photosynthesis cannot occur so no
carbohydrates or food is produced for the plant so it dies
6.19 transported by phloem as sucrose

Practical ( testing for starch ):

1. Put a leaf in boiling water for 30 seconds to break down cell membranes
2. Remove the leaf and put it into a tube of alcohol in a water bath so chlorophyll comes out
3. Soften the leaf by dipping it in hot water again
4. Spread out leaf on white tile and test with iodine solution
5. Brown/Orange = No Starch, Blue/Black = Starch

Plants must be destarched before any experiment by leaving them in a dark cupboard for at least 24
hours.

Practical ( testing if chlorophyll is needed for photosynthesis ) :

Destarch a plant with variegated leaves. Leave your plant in a warm and sunny spot for a few days
Test one of the leaves for starch
Only the green parts of the leaf will have starch because they contain chlorphyll

Limiting factors :

Sunlight:
In the dark, a plant cannot photosynthesis at all. As light intensity increases, the rate of photosynthesis
increases until a certain point where light intensity isn’t the limiting factor anymore
Carbon dioxide:
Co2 can also be a limiting factor

Temperature:
The higher the temperature, the faster the rate of photosynthesis as the reactions take place quickly in
higher temperatures

Stomata :
If the stomata are closed, photosynthesis cannot take place as no co2 is diffusing in. Stomata ofen close
if the weather is very hot and sunny to prevent water loss.

Limiting factor – something present in the environment that is in such short supply that it restricts life
processes

Importance of photosynthesis :
Photosynthesis is important because it brings the energy of the sun into ecosystems and is essential for
maintaining global level of oxygen and carbon dioxide.

Transport in plants

Xylem :

Xylem vessels are like long drainpipes.

Xylem vessels are hollow, dead cells and joined end to end. The end walls of the cells have disappeared.
Xylem vessels run from the roots of the plant right up through the stem.
Xylem vessels contain no cytoplasm or nuclei.
Their walls are made of cellulose and thickened with a substance called lignin to help support the plant
and keep it upright.
Phloem:
Phloem is always on the outside, xylem on the inside
Vascular bundles : a group of xylem vessels and phloem tubes

What do xylem vessels carry? Water and mineral ions

What substance makes up the cell walls of xylem vessels? Lignin
What do phloem tubes carry? Sucrose and amino acids
What is a vascular bundle? A group of xylem vessels and phloem tubes

Comparing xylem with phloem :

Phloem has end walls ( sieve plates ), xylem does not
Phloem has no lignin, xylem does
Phloem has companion cell with nucleus and cytoplasm

Root cap : layer of cells which protect the root as it grows through the soil

Route of water from soil :

Water moves by osmosis from higher water potential ( soil ) to lower water potential ( root hair cells ). It
travels by osmosis through the cortex until it reaches the xylem vessels. The xylem vessels move the
water up the same way a drink moves up the straw. Negative pressure occurs ( reduced pressure at top
and increased pressure in bottom of xylem and water flows up ). The root hair cells have a large surface
area to maximize absorption of water by osmosis and minerals by active transport.
Transpiration

Transpiration stream : flow of water up and out of the plant through xylem vessels and stomata
Transpiration:
Loss of water from plant leaves by evaporation of water at the surfaces of mesophyll cells followed by
the loss of water vapour through the stomata

Water potential gradient:

Low water potential in the leaves is caused by the loss of water vapour from transpiration producing a
pull from above and pulling water up the plant. Water molecules have a strong tendency to stick
together (cohesion) and to the walls of the xylem (adhesion) so the water travels up as a column and
diffuses out of the stomata.

Adaptations of plant to help it take up water:

Huge surface area in root hair cells

hollow narrow xylem vessels provide an easy path for water to flow up
many air spaces in mesophyll layer means there is a large surface for water to evaporate from,
increasing the rate of evaporation and drawing more water out of the xylem therefore speeding up the
flow of water
The stomata which open and close to allow water vapour to diffuse out.

 Transpiration has several functions in plants:

o transporting mineral ions
o providing water to keep cells turgid in order to support the structure of the plant
o providing water to leaf cells for photosynthesis
o keeping the leaves cool (the conversion of water (liquid) into water vapour (gas) as it
leaves the cells and enters the airspace requires heat energy. The using up of heat to
convert water into water vapour helps to cool the plant down)

Measuring transpiration rates :

Potometer is used to measure how fast a plant takes up water, which correlates to transpiration rate. By
recording how fast the water meniscus moves along the capillary tube u can measure the rate of
transpiration.

Conditions affecting transpiration rate :

Temperature:
on a hot day, water will evaporate quickly from the leaves of plant because particles have more kinetic
energy so transpiration occurs quicker
Humidity : As the humidity increases, transpiration decreases as the concentration gradient is weaker so
less water is lost

Wind speed : as the wind speed increases, transpiration rate increases as airflow removes water vapour
from the air surrounding the leaf which sets up a steeper concentration gradient between the leaf and
the air.

Light intensity : as light intensity increases, transpiration increases as plants open up more of their
stomata for CO2 to diffuse in for photosynthesis

Water supply : as water supply decreases, transpiration decreases as plants close their stomata.

Wilting : when more water evaporates then absorbed from soil, cell walls cannot support the plants and
starts to collapse

Transport of manufactured food

Translocation : movement of sucrose and amino acids in the phloem from regions of production ( source
) to regions of storage or utilization in respiration or growth ( sink )

 During winter, when many plants have no leaves, the phloem tubes may transport dissolved
sucrose and amino acids from the storage organs to other parts of the plant so that
respiration can continue
 During a growth period (eg during the spring), the storage organs (eg roots) would be the
source and the many growing areas of the plant would be the sinks
 After the plant has grown (usually during the summer), the leaves are photosynthesizing
and producing large quantities of sugars; so they become the source and the roots become
the sinks – storing sucrose as starch until it is needed again