Water & Life

Chapter 01
The transport of water through the root and root hairs.

1. Xylem transports plant water and minerals.

2. Root hair is the hair found in the roots of plants.
3. These root hairs absorb water and minerals from the soil because they are in direct contact with the
water film between the soil particles.
4. Through the diffusion process, water enters the root hairs.
5. The xylem is made up of small vessels that connect the roots and leaves.
6. Xylem transports water, minerals, and nutrients from the soil to all the plant parts.
7. There are two types of "transport" tissues in plants- xylem and phloem.
8. Water and solutes are transported by the xylem from the roots to the leaves, and food is transported from
the leaves to the rest of the plant by the phloem.
9. The process by which water evaporates from the leaves and draws more water from the roots is called
‘transpiration’.
Transpiration.

 Transpiration is defined as the physiological loss of water in the form of water vapor, mainly from the
stomata in leaves, but also through evaporation from the surfaces of leaves, flowers, and stems.
 There are three main types of transpiration, based on where the process occurs:

1. Stomatal transpiration: Stomata make up only 3% of the leaf surface area, but most water loss
happens through these openings due to the necessities of photosynthesis. Stomata are open to let
carbon dioxide in for photosynthesis; however, this also causes the water in the mesophyll tissue in
leaves to evaporate if the air outside is drier due to factors like high temperature.
2. Cuticular transpiration: The leaf surface has a waxy cuticle through which water vapor can
evaporate. Water loss here is lower compared to stomatal transpiration, except when the stomata are
closed.
3. Lenticular transpiration: Lenticels, small openings in some plants’ bark, are another area where
some water loss can be seen. This type of transpiration sees the lowest amounts of water loss.
Stomata Cutical
Lenticle
Xylem and Phloem.

 Xylem transports and stores water and water-soluble nutrients in vascular plants.
 Phloem is responsible for transporting sugars, proteins, and other organic molecules in plants.
 Vascular plants are able to grow higher than other plants due to the rigidity of xylem cells, which
support the plant.
Vascular bundle.

 A vascular bundle is a part of the transport system in vascular plants.

 The transport itself happens in the stem, which exists in two forms: xylem and phloem.
 Both these tissues are present in a vascular bundle, which in addition will include supporting and
protective tissues.
Transport of water through the stem and leaves.

 Xylem transports water, minerals, and nutrients from the soil to all the plant parts. There are two types
of "transport" tissues in plants- xylem and phloem.
 Water and solutes are transported by the xylem from the roots to the leaves, and food is transported
from the leaves to the rest of the plant by the phloem.
Minerals and how plants use them.

1. Certain minerals like phosphorus and magnesium are essential for the reproduction, growth, and
development of the plant.
2. The minerals absorbed by the roots are mineral ions dissolved in the soil and water. They support plants
to complete their life cycle and are to produce seeds.
3. The deficiencies of nitrogen, iron, copper, and sulfur result in stunted growth, insufficient chlorophyll in
leaves, cell senescence etc.
4. Potassium elements increase the quality of fruits and vegetables
5. Potassium, sodium, magnesium and other elements are involved directly in the metabolism of the plant.
Essential Mineral Elements in Plants.

Based on their quantitative requirements, minerals are further divided into two broad categories:
Macro minerals
 Phosphorous, carbon, sodium, nitrogen, potassium, silicon, magnesium, hydrogen, calcium, oxygen,
selenium and Sulphur are known as macro minerals and are generally required in large amounts by the
plant tissues.
Microminerals
 Iron, boron, nickel, manganese, copper, zinc, cobalt, chlorine, and molybdenum are known as
microminerals or trace elements and are required by plants in small amounts.
Absorption of Mineral Elements in Plants.
The mineral elements in plants are absorbed by the following two mechanisms:
Passive Mineral Absorption
 This type of absorption does not require any energy and occurs along the concentration gradient by
the process of simple diffusion.
Active Mineral Absorption
 It is an active process and requires energy for the transfer of mineral elements against the
concentration gradient.