Growth!

The plant cell—tissue systems,

tissues, and cells

1.  Review of the plant body

2.  The three tissue systems
3.  Tissues that make up the tissue systems
4.  Cell types that make up the tissues
5.  Components of a cell

Figure 35.2 Morphology of a flowering plant: an overview

Plant systems
•  Three basic
•  The plant body has a hierarchy of organs, organs
tissues, and cells, like multicellular animals evolved: roots,
–  Have organs composed of different tissues, which are stems, and
in turn composed of cells
leaves
•  The basic morphology of vascular plants
–  Reflects their evolutionary history as terrestrial •  They are
organisms that draw nutrients from two very different organized into
environments: below-ground and above-ground a root
system and a
shoot system

Figure 35.2 Morphology of a flowering plant: an overview

Plant systems
•  Three basic
•  The plant body has a hierarchy of organs, tissues, and organs
cells, like multicellular animals
–  Have organs composed of different tissues, which are in turn
evolved: roots,
composed of cells stems, and
•  The basic morphology of vascular plants leaves
–  Reflects their evolutionary history as terrestrial organisms that
draw nutrients from two very different environments: below- •  They are
ground and above-ground
organized into
a root
system and a
shoot system

1
 Roots Roots cont.
•  A root
–  Is an organ that anchors the vascular plant •  Gymnosperms and eudicots: taproots with
–  Absorbs minerals and water lateral roots
–  Often stores organic nutrients •  Seedless vascular and monocots: fibrous
root system: spread out
•  In most plants
•  Many plants have modified roots:
–  The absorption of water and
adventitious roots arise above ground from
minerals occurs near the root
tips, where vast numbers of
stems and even leaves
tiny root hairs increase the
surface area of the root

Many plants have modified roots Stems (shoot system)

•  Nodes: point of leaf attachment
•  Internodes: segments between nodes
•  Axillary buds can form new shoots or
(a) Prop roots (b) Storage roots (c) “Strangling” aerial
branches
roots
•  Terminal buds can lead to apical
dominance (grow up!)

(d) Buttress roots (e) Pneumatophores

Figure 35.4 Modified shoots: Stolons, strawberry (top left); rhizomes, iris (top
right); tubers, potato (bottom left); bulb, onion (bottom right)

2
 Figure 35.5 Simple versus compound leaves

Leaves
•  Main photosynthetic organ - but in many,
the stems can dominate too.
•  Blade and petiole (monocots don’t have
petioles - base of the leaf forms a sheath
around leaf.
•  Leaf types:

Figure 35.6 Modified leaves: Tendrils, pea plant (top left); spines, cacti (top Figure 35.19 Leaf anatomy
right); succulent (bottom left); brightly-colored leaves, poinsettia (bottom right)

Note: “Cuticle” = waxy or fatty layer on

outer wall of epidermal cells

3
Leaf types
The plant cell—tissue systems,
tissues, and cells

1.  Review of the plant body

2.  The three tissue systems
3.  Tissues that make up the tissue systems
4.  Cell types that make up the tissues
5.  Components of a cell

Figure 35.7 The three tissue systems

The plant cell—tissue systems,

tissues, and cells

1.  Review of the plant body

2.  The three tissue systems
3.  Tissues that make up the tissue systems
4.  Cell types that make up the tissues
5.  Components of a cell

Figure 35.7 The three tissue systems Figure 35.18 Primary tissues, and their functions, in young stems
Tissue Tissues
Sclerenchyma tissue: support of
Systems mature plant parts
Xylem tissue: water & mineral
transport; Phloem tissue:
“food” (sugar) transport
Ground Parenchyma
(a.k.a. “pith ray”)
Collenchyma
Collenchyma tissue: support of
Sclerenchyma young, growing parts

Parenchyma tissue:
Vascular Xylem photosynthesis, storage, and/or
secretion
Phloem

The three tissue systems

Dermal Epidermis
Epidermal tissue: protection,
control of water loss, and a variety
of other functions

4
Figure 35.16 Organization of primary tissues in young stems. Note difference Figure 35.15 Organization of tissue systems and tissues in young roots
from root: vascular tissue is arranged in bundles, with ground tissue in center.
Also note difference in arrangement of bundles between dicot and monocot.

“Epidermis:” Dermal system, epidermal

tissue
“Cortex:” Ground system, parenchyma
tissue

“Stele:” Vascular system, xylem & phloem

tissues

Figure 35.13 Organization of primary tissues in young roots. Note the

difference between the monocot and the dicot in the arrangement of the xylem
& phloem in the stele.
The plant cell—tissue systems,
tissues, and cells

1.  Review of the plant body

2.  The three tissue systems
3.  Tissues that make up the tissue systems
4.  Cell types that make up the tissues
5.  Components of a cell

Tissue Systems Tissues

(& cell types) Three tissue systems of plants
Ground Parenchyma
(parenchyma cells, transfer cells) •  Dermal tissue - outer protective covering
Collenchyma
(collenchyma cells)
–  Epidermis/periderm analogous to skin
Sclerenchyma –  Cuticle - waxy coating to preserve water
(fibers & sclereids)
•  Vascular tissue - transport system
Vascular Xylem –  Xylem: carries water and nutrients from roots to
(tracheids or vessel members, also some
parenchyma cells, fibers, & sclereids ) leaves. Support and food storage too.
Phloem –  Phloem: transport organic nutrients (sugar),
(sieve cells or sieve-tube members, also specialized
parenchyma cells called companion or albuminous
amino acids, lipids, hormones etc.
cells, some fibers & sclereids)
•  Ground tissue - “everything else”.
Dermal Epidermis
(ground cells, guard cells, trichomes, and others, –  Pith (internal to vascular), Cortex
also some fibers & sclereids)
–  Function in storage, photosynthesis, & support

5
Figure 35.8 The three tissue systems of a plant

Plant Cell Types

•  Epidermis
Dermal Tissue –  Guard Cells
–  Trichomes (appendages). Can be on roots
(facilitate absorption), or on ‘hairy’ leaves -
reduce solar radiation in xerophytes). Some
secrete salts (in halophiles)

•  These cells provide mechanical protection

•  Many are covered with a cuticle (cutin and
wax) to minimize water loss

Figure 35.8 The three tissue systems of a plant

Plant Cell Types

•  Epidermis
Ground Tissue –  Guard Cells
•  Ground tissue
pith –  Parenchyma: photosynthesis and metabolism
(storage and secretion ).
cortex
–  Collenchyma: support (flexible)
–  Sclerenchyma: storage, support (firm),
protection

Parenchyma cells Collenchyma cells

•  Alive at maturity •  Living at maturity
•  No secondary walls •  No secondary cell walls or lignin
•  Site of most plant metabolism •  Provide flexible support to growing
•  Play a role in wound healing and parts of plant
regeneration

6
 Figure 35.8 The three tissue systems of a plant

Sclerenchyma cells
Vascular Tissue
•  Thick secondary walls, usually with lignin
•  Usually dead at maturity
•  Usually specialized for support and strengthening of
parts that have ceased elongating.
–  Sclereids impart hardness to seed coats, shells of
nuts (give pears their grit)
–  Fibers are usually long, slender, tapered (hemp and
flax fibers)

Plant Cell Types Xylem cells

•  Epidermis
–  Guard Cells
•  Ground tissue •  Dead at maturity
–  Parenchyma: photosynthesis and metabolism •  Tracheids found in all vascular plants
–  Collenchyma: support
–  Long and thin with tapered ends
–  Scelerenchyma: support, storage, protection
–  Lignin for structural support
•  Vascular tissues –  Less specialized than vessel elements (‘safer’ though)
–  Xylem: water and nutrients from roots. Also •  Vessel elements found mainly in angiosperms
support and food storage (flowering plants)
•  Tracheids, vessel elements –  Generally wider, shorter, and less tapered than
tracheids
–  Phloem: sugars from leaves –  Has perforations for more efficient water flow - but
•  Sieve-tube members, companion cells perforations are open systems and can be less safe.

Figure 35.8 Water-conducting cells of xylem tissue

Phloem
• Primary and secondary phloem.
Primary phloem is often destroyed
during elongation of the organ.

• Principal conducting cells are the

sieve elements (‘with pores’)

7
Figure 35.9 Food-conducting cells of the phloem tissue

Sieve-tube members
•  Alive at maturity, but…
•  Lack nucleus, ribosomes, organelles
(highly specialized like human red
blood cells!)
•  Served by nucleus etc. of adjacent
companion cells
– Connected via plasmodesmata

Figure 35.19 Leaf anatomy

Plant Growth
Note: “Cuticle” = waxy or fatty layer on
outer wall of epidermal cells
1.  Meristems and overview of plant growth

2.  Apical meristems and primary growth

3.  Lateral meristems and secondary growth

Figure 35.10 Locations of major meristems Figure 35.11 Illustration of primary and secondary growth: Morphology of a
Remember: A major winter twig
adaptation of land
plants is the meristem
—a region of
perpetual cell division
that allows the plant
to grow rapidly

There are two types of

meristems: Apical and
lateral.
Apical meristems
lengthen the plant
(“primary growth”).
Lateral meristems
thicken the plant with
bark and wood
(“secondary growth”).

8
 Figure 35.12 Primary growth of a root. Notice that the apical meristem
produces three primary meristems, which produce the three primary tissue

Plant Growth systems (dermal, ground, and vascular).

1.  Meristems and overview of plant growth

2.  Apical meristems and primary growth

3.  Lateral meristems and secondary growth

Figure 35.13 Organization of primary tissues in young roots. Note the Figure 35.14 The formation of lateral roots. Lateral roots arise from the
difference between the monocot and the dicot in the arrangement of the xylem pericycle—the outermost cell layer of the stele.
& phloem in the stele.

Figure 35.12 Primary growth of a root. Notice that the apical meristem Figure 35.15 The terminal bud and primary growth of a shoot. Just like in the
produces three primary meristems, which produce the three primary tissue root, the apical meristem produces three primary meristems, which develop
systems (dermal, ground, and vascular). into the three tissue systems.

9
Figure 35.16 Organization of primary tissues in young stems. Note difference
from root: vascular tissue is arranged in bundles, with ground tissue in center.
Also note difference in arrangement of bundles between dicot and monocot.
Plant Growth
1.  Meristems and overview of plant growth

2.  Apical meristems and primary growth

3.  Lateral meristems and secondary

growth

Figure 35.10 Locations of major meristems Figure 35.18 Secondary growth of a stem (Layer 1)
Remember:
Secondary growth Vascular cambium:
happens at the 2 Fusiform initials make cells
lateral meristems elongated vertically, form
secondary xylem (to inside) and
secondary phloem (to the outside)
The interior lateral
Ray initials make cells elongated
meristem, called the
horizontally-transfer water and
vascular cambium, nutrients, store starch
produces secondary
xylem (to the interior)
and phloem (to the
exterior).

The exterior lateral

meristem, called the
cork cambium,
produces cork cells to
the exterior.

Figure 35.18 Secondary growth of a stem (Layer 2) Figure 35.18 Secondary growth of a stem (Layer 3)

Cork cambium: meristem for tough

thick covering - replaces epidermis.
Forms from cortex to fill in gaps as
epidermis is stretched and broken
by lateral expansion of stem
Rays maintain connectivity
between secondary xylem and
secondary phloem, allow exchange
of nutrients and water, store starch
and organic nutrients

10
Anatomy of a three-year-old stem. How can you tell the stem is 3 years old? Secondary growth of a stem. How many years old is it?
Notes:

“Wood” = secondary xylem, or

everything on the interior side of the
vascular cambium

“Bark” = everything exterior of the

vascular cambium, including the
secondary phloem and the periderm
(cork cambium + cork)

Also remember: Secondary growth

happens in roots too.

Figure 35.20 Anatomy of a tree trunk A summary of primary and secondary growth in a woody stem

Oldest xyelm
nonfuctional

Oldest phloem
sloughed off

Oldest xyelm
nonfuctional

Oldest phloem
sloughed off

11