Revision Notes

Class 11 Biology
Chapter 11 – Transport in Plants

Translocation refers to the process of transport in plants via xylem and phloem. It
includes the transport of water, minerals, and solutes.

Means of transport
Plants have three primary modes of transportation:
• Diffusion is the most common mode of plant transport. It is defined as the
movement of molecules from a high concentration region to a low concentration
region without the use of energy. As a result, diffusion is a passive process. The rate
of diffusion is affected by the concentration gradient, temperature, and pressure.

• Facilitated diffusion is a transport process facilitated by proteins known as

permeases. It is a passive process as well. Transport reaches its maximum when all
of the protein available for transport is saturated. It is a specific process that only
allows certain molecules to pass through. Porins and aquaporins are proteins that aid
in the process of facilitated diffusion. Porins are pores found in cell organelles such
as mitochondria and plastids, as well as in some bacteria. Aquaporins are water
channels that transport molecules of water.

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The following process can result in facilitated diffusion:
• Symport: The transport of multiple molecules in the same direction.

• Antiport: The movement of molecules in the opposite direction.

• Uniport: The movement of single molecules in any direction.

Note: Recreated above diagram

Active transport in plants

The transport of molecules necessitates the expenditure of energy. It can transport
solutes from a low concentration region to a high concentration region and vice
versa. Active transport is facilitated by membrane proteins. It is a specific mode of
solute transport.

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Note: Recreated above diagram

Plant water relations

Water is required for the growth of plants. However, too much or too little water is
harmful to the plants. The process by which terrestrial plants lose some of their water
from their aerial parts in the form of water vapor is known as transpiration.

Water potential
Water potential is a measure of water's potential energy. The water potential of the
cell is determined by solute potential and pressure potential. The highest water
potential is found in pure water. Water always moves from a higher to a lower water
potential. The potential of water is denoted by the symbol psi or ψ. Pascals are the
unit of measurement for water potential.

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When a solute is added to pure water, the water potential falls to a negative value.
This is referred to as solute potential. It is denoted by the symbol ψs . Water potential
increases when pressure exceeds atmospheric pressure in the case of pure water.
Water moves from a region of high water potential to a region of low water potential,
or from a dilute solution to a concentrated solution, as shown in the diagram above.

When water enters the plant cell, pressure builds up against the cell wall, making it
more turgid. This increases the potential for pressure. As a result, the following is
the relationship between water potential  ψ  , solute potential  ψs  , and pressure
potential  ψp  :
ψ = ψp  ψs

Osmosis
It is defined as the process of water molecules moving across a semi-permeable
membrane. The movement of water is influenced by the concentration gradient and
the pressure gradient.

Water molecules move until an equilibrium is reached between the two solutions.
Osmotic pressure is the pressure applied to prevent the net movement of solute
molecules across the membrane. Osmosis is required for the movement of molecules
across membranes such as ions, proteins, and polysaccharides.

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Plasmolysis
The behavior of plant cells in relation to the external medium is subject to change.
If the osmotic potential of the plant cell matches that of the external medium, the
solution is said to be isotonic. The solution is said to be hypertonic if the osmotic
potential is greater outside the cell than inside the cell. When the solute potential
inside the cell is greater than the solute potential outside the cell, the solution is said
to be hypotonic.

A hypertonic solution causes water molecules to move outside the cell. The cell is
now referred to as flaccid. When a cell is immersed in hypotonic solution, water
moves within the cell. The cell is described as turgid. Plasmolysis is the process by
which protoplasm shrinks away from the cell wall when a plant cell is kept in
hypertonic solution. Water moves out of the cell as a result of being immersed in a
hypertonic solution. This is referred to as plasmolysis.

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Imbibition
Imbibition refers to the absorption of water by solids, which causes them to expand
in size. The most common example of imbibition is the swelling of raisins when kept
in water. This is regarded as diffusion because water moves from high concentration
to low concentration, i.e. along the concentration gradient.

Long distance transport of water

Long-distance water transport is the quickest mode of water transport. Water, food,
and minerals are typically moved by bulk flow or mass flow. Mass flow occurs
between two pressure-differentiated solutions.

Translocation refers to the movement of substances through the vascular tissues of

plants. Xylem and phloem are vascular tissues. Xylem aids in the movement of water
molecules from the roots to various parts of the plant. Phloem facilitates the
movement of food from the leaves to other parts of the plant.

Different pathways of water absorption

Water is absorbed by plants through their roots. Root hairs are responsible for the
absorption of water and minerals from the soil. Water moves from the roots to
various parts of the plant via two different pathways. These routes are as follows:

• Apoplast pathway

It is concerned with the movement of water in non-living plant parts such as

intercellular spaces and cell walls. This pathway is disrupted by the endodermis.
Endodermis is protected from water movement by casparian strips. It does not entail
the movement of water across the cell membrane.

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• Symplast pathway
It is the movement of water through protoplasts via cell-to-cell connections known
as plasmodesmata. It aids in direct cytoplasm-to-cytoplasm movement. This process
is slower than the apoplastic pathway of water movement.

Some plants, such as Pinus, have different structures for water absorption called
Mycorrhiza. Mycorrhiza are fungal associations that occur between fungi and the
roots of higher plants. It is a symbiotic relationship between the fungus and the plant
roots. The fungal hyphae aid in the absorption of mineral ions and water from the
soil, whereas the roots supply sugars and N-containing compounds to plant roots.

Water movement up the plant

• Root pressure occurs when ions present in the soil are actively transported into the
vascular tissues of the roots, resulting in positive pressure inside the roots.

• Transpiration pull occurs when ions present in the soil are actively transported into
the vascular tissues of the roots, resulting in positive pressure inside the roots. This
pressure is referred to as the root pressure, and it is responsible for the upward
movement of water. When a stem is cut horizontally from the base, root pressure is
measured. From the cut stem, a liquid will ooze out. The effect of root pressure can

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also be seen at night. Excess water in the form of water droplets is observed near the
tips of the leaves when the rate of evaporation is low. This is referred to as guttation.

• The driving force for water's upward movement is transpiration pull. Dixon and
Jolly proposed the cohesion-tension theory to explain the upward movement of
water in plants. The attraction between water molecules is referred to as cohesion.
The attraction between water molecules and other polar molecules is referred to as
adhesion. Surface tension is another property that promotes transpiration pull. The
attraction between water molecules in liquid phase is referred to as surface tension.
Water is lost during transpiration, causing a negative pressure in the xylem vessels.
This is referred to as transpiration pull.

Transpiration
Transpiration is the loss of water from leaves in the form of water vapor through
stomata. Stomata are small openings in the leaves that open during the day and close
at night.

Factors influencing transpiration

• Elevated temperatures increase the rate of transpiration.

• A larger surface area increases the rate of evaporation; high humidity decreases the
rate of evaporation; and wind speed increases the rate of evaporation.

Mineral nutrient absorption and transport

Minerals are absorbed by plants both passively and actively. The majority of the
transport occurs actively because ions are charged and cannot cross the membrane
without expending energy. ATP is used to provide energy. Sucrose, the end product
of photosynthesis, is transported from the source (where synthesis occurs, such as
leaves) to the sink (organs that store food). Food or sucrose transport is bidirectional,
as opposed to water transport, which is unidirectional.

For sugar translocation from source to sink, the pressure flow hypothesis, mass flow
hypothesis, or Munch hypothesis was proposed. This happens through the phloem.
Sieve tubes, companion cells, and phloem parenchyma make up phloem. Food is
actively moved from source to sink via sieve tubes and companion cells. Sugars

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move through the phloem starting at the source, where they are loaded into a sieve
tube. The loading in sieve tubes produces a hypertonic environment, which allows
water to enter the phloem. Because of the high osmotic pressure at the source, the
food/sucrose moves towards the sink (with low osmotic pressure). As a result, it is
possible to conclude that osmotic pressure drives the movement of food from the
source to the sink.

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