Topic 8 Transport in plants

1 State the function of xylem tissue. Transport water and mineral ions.
2 State the function of phloem tissue. Translocation of dissolved sugars.
3 In the vascular bundle of a dicotyledonous Phloem.
stem which is closest to the outside of the
stem; the xylem or phloem?
4 State the pathway taken by water through root, root hair cell --> root cortex cells
stem and leaf of a plant to the outside air. -- > xylem --> mesophyll cells -->
stomata
5 Which type of specialised cells in plants Root hair cells
increases the rate of the absorption of water by
osmosis and ions by active transport?
6 What causes the movement of water through a Loss of water through evaporation
plant? in the leaf.
7 Define transpiration. Loss of water vapour from plant
leaves by evaporation of water at
the surfaces of the mesophyll cells
followed by diffusion of water
vapour through the stomata
8 Explain the mechanism by which water moves Transpiration pull draws up a
upwards in the xylem. column of water molecules, held
together by cohesion.
9 Why does increasing soil oxygen content Cells move mineral ions by active
increase ion uptake by root hair cells? transport which requires energy
released by aerobic respiration.
1 Describe the effects of variation of temperature 1. increasing environmental
0 and humidity on transpiration rate temperature increases
transpiration rate. 2. increasing
environmental humidity decreases
transpiration.
1 What equipment is needed to measure the rate Potometer
1 of transpiration?
1 Suggest 4 atmospheric conditions that will 1. High wind speed 2. high
2 result in optimal rate of transpiration temperature 3. low humidity 4
high light intensity
 1 Describe an adaptation of a xerophyte that Rolled leaves, small leaves or
3 decreases transpiration. spines, sunken stomata.
1 Explain how and why wilting occurs. Leaves collapse, stomata close to
4 reduce heat absorption and
evaporation of low water supplies.
1 Define translocation The movement of sucrose and
5 amino acids in phloem tissue from
source to sink.
1 What is a source in a plant? A region of the production of
6 carbohydrates in plants
(commonly a leaf)
1 What is a sink in a plant? A region where the products of
7 photosynthesis are stored or used
for respiration or growth.
1 True or false; the parts of plant that act as False, the source and sink can
8 source or sink are always the same? change during a plants life time or
seasonally through the year.

Most living organisms need a transport system.

Vertebrates and flowering plants are large organisms and have transport systems to carry
substances, such as food and water, throughout their bodies. These transport systems
move fluids through tubes so that all the fluid moves in the same direction within each
tube. This type of transport is called mass flow.
Vertebrates have a circulatory system consisting of a pump (the heart) and blood vessels.
Flowering plants have two separate transport systems: xylem and phloem

Xylem and phloem

Xylem and phloem are plant tissues composed of cells that are specialised for transport
(Topic 2.3). These tissues are found throughout the plant body in roots, stems and leaves.
Xylem tissue transports water and mineral ions. The roots absorb the water and mineral
ions from the soil. These enter the xylem in the root and travel upwards in the stem to the
leaves, flowers, and fruits. Transport in the xylem, unlike in the phloem, is in one direction
only - from roots via stem to leaves.

Phloem tissue transports sucrose, amino acids and hormones throughout the plant.
Sucrose is a soluble, complex sugar that is made especially for transporting energy. It is
made in leaves with the sugars from photosynthesis and from starch in storage organs,
such as swollen roots and stems.
Substances are transported in the phloem in two directions:
downwards from leaves to roots and upwards from leaves to flowers, fruits and buds, also
from storage organs to new stems and leaves.
SLOP Questions
1. Using the diagrams above, describe the functions of each of these tissues:
a. phloem
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b. Xylem
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c. cambium
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d. epidermis
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 e. root cap
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f. root cortex
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Water uptake by roots

The main functions of roots are to anchor the plant in the soil and to take up water and
mineral ions. Just behind the root tip are small root hairs. Water passes into the root hairs
by osmosis. Soil water is a dilute solution of various solutes including mineral ions, such as
nitrate and potassium. Root hairs have thin, permeable cell walls and provide a large
surface area to absorb water. The cell sap in the root hair cells is a more concentrated
solution than soil water. This is because root hair cells also absorb mineral ions and have
other solutes such as sugars. The cell membrane is partially permeable so water diffuses
from the soil into the root hair cells by osmosis.

Water then passes across the cortex of the root. Most of the water moves through the cell
walls and in the spaces between the cells. Some moves from cell to cell. Water eventually
reaches the xylem in the centre of the root. From here water moves up the xylem through
the stem and to the leaves where it enters the spongy mesophyll cells. Much of the water
enters the cell walls, evaporates to form water vapour and then diffuses through stomata
to the atmosphere.

We describe the movement of water into a root hair, across the cortex and into a xylem
vessel in terms of water potential (Topic 3.2). Water passes down a water potential
gradient, from a high water potential in the solution in the soil to a lower water potential
in the root hair cell. Water in turn, passes from the root hair cell to a lower water potential
in the cells of the cortex and eventually to an even lower water potential in the xylem
vessel.
Pathway of Water through Root to Leaf
 Osmosis causes water to pass into the root hair cells, through the root cortex and
into the xylem vessels:

 Once the water gets into

the xylem, it is carried up to
the leaves where it
enters mesophyll cells
 So the pathway is:
root hair cell → root cortex cells →
xylem → leaf mesophyll cells

Pathway of water into and across a root

2. Look at the diagram of the root hair in the

soil.
a. Name the parts labelled A to F.
A. ______________________
B. ______________________
C. ______________________
D. ______________________
E. _______________________
F. _______________________
b. Explain how water gets into a root hair cell from the soil.
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c Give two other functions of root hair cells.

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3. Explain, using the term water potential, how water passes into root hair cells, across
the cells of the cortex, into the xylem vessels and up to the leaves, where it is lost
to the atmosphere.
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 The pathway can be
investigated by placing a plant
(like celery) into a beaker of
water that has had a stain
added to it (food colouring will
work well)
 After a few hours, you can see
the leaves of the celery turning
the same colour as the dyed
water, proving that water is
being taken up by the celery
 If a cross-section of the celery
is cut, only certain areas of the
stalk is stained the colour of the
water, showing that the water
is being carried in specific
vessels through the stem –
these are the xylem vessels
 

Investigating water movement in plants using a stain

SLOP Questions
4. Outline the experiment to indicate the pathway the taken by water
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5. What results would you expect to see?
What is Transpiration?
 Water travels up xylem from
the roots into the leaves of the
plant to replace the water that
has been lost due
to transpiration
 Transpiration is defined as
the loss of water vapour
from plant leaves by
evaporation of water at
the surfaces of the
mesophyll cells followed
by diffusion of water
vapour through the
stomata
 Xylem is adapted in many ways:
o A substance
called lignin is
deposited in the cell walls which causes the xylem cells to die
 These cells then
o
become hollow (as they lose
all their organelles and
cytoplasm) and join end-to-
end to form a continuous
tube for water and mineral
ions to travel through from the
roots
o Lignin strengthens the plant to
help it withstand the pressure
of the water movement
 Movement in xylem only takes place
in one direction – from roots to
leaves (unlike phloem where movement takes place in different directions)

How does Transpiration Occur?

 Evaporation takes place from the surfaces of spongy mesophyll cells
 The many interconnecting air spaces between these cells and the stomata
creates a large surface area
 This means evaporation can happen rapidly when stomata are open

 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)
6. Define transpiration?
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7. Outline 2 adaptations of xylem
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8. Outline how transpiration occurs

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9. Outline 3 functions of transpiration in plants
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Measuring transpiration
It is not easy to measure the rate of transpiration, but you can use a potometer to
measure the rate of water uptake. The volume of water lost is slightly less than the
volume of water taken in by the roots. This is because some of the water is used up in
photosynthesis and in keeping cells turgid. You could use a simple piece of apparatus to
investigate the rate of water uptake.

Investigating the role of environmental factors in determining the rate of

transpiration from a leafy shoot
 Cut a shoot underwater
to prevent air entering the
xylem and place in tube
 Set up the apparatus as shown
in the diagram and make sure it
is airtight, using vaseline to seal
any gaps
 Dry the leaves of the shoot
(wet leaves will affect the
results)
 Remove the capillary tube from
the beaker of water to allow a single air bubble to form and place the tube back
into the water
 Set up the environmental factor you are investigating
 Allow the plant to adapt to the new environment for 5 minutes
 Record the starting location of the air bubble
 Leave for a set period of time
 Record the end location of air bubble
 Change the light intensity or wind speed or level of humidity or temperature (only
one – whichever factor is being investigated)
 Reset the bubble by opening the tap below the reservoir
 Repeat the experiment
 The further the bubble travels in the same time period, the faster
transpiration is occurring and vice versa

 Environmental factors can be investigated in the following ways:

o Temperature : Temperature of room (cold room and warm room)
o Humidity : Spray water in plastic bag and wrap around plant
Factors affecting transpiration
The effects of increasing wind speed and temperature are shown
in Figure 8.4.3.
• The rate of transpiration increases as the air temperature
Increases.
Temperature influences the rate of evaporation of water from the
surfaces of cells inside the leaf. As temperature increases, water
molecules on the cell surfaces have more kinetic energy and enter
the air inside the leaf as water vapour.
• The rate of transpiration increases as the wind speed increases.
An increase in wind speed means that water molecules are blown
away from the leaf surface. This results in the net diffusion of
more water molecules out of the stomata so increasing the rate of
transpiration.

Light intensity also affects the rate of transpiration. As the light

intensity increases, the rate of transpiration increases up to a
maximum that is determined by the other conditions such as the temperature, wind speed
and humidity in the air.
Light causes stomata to open. As the light intensity increases, stomata open wider
allowing more water vapour to diffuse out of the leaves. As light intensity decreases (for
example, when it is cloudy or towards evening) stomata close so
that less water is lost by transpiration.

In very humid conditions, there may be nearly as much water

vapour in the atmosphere as in the air inside the leaves. This
means that there is no concentration gradient for water vapour
so the rate of transpiration is low. In dry conditions the
concentration gradient is very steep so much more water vapour
diffuses out through stomata

10. Describe how you would set up a potometer to measure the rate of water uptake by
a cut shoot?
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11. Explain why cut shoots take up water when put into a potometer.

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 12. Describe how you would change conditions around a cut shoot in a potometer to
measure the effect of wind speed and temperature on the rate of transpiration.
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13. State the effect of increasing wind speed on the rate of transpiration.

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14. State the effect of increasing temperature on the rate of transpiration.

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15. Explain how an increase in light intensity affects the rate of transpiration:

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16. Explain how an increase in light intensity affects the rate of transpiration:

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Transport of Food
 The soluble products of photosynthesis are sugars (mainly sucrose) and amino
acids
 These are transported around the
plant in the phloem tubes which are
made of living cells (as opposed to
xylem vessels which are made of dead
cells)
 The cells are joined end to end and
contain holes in the end cell walls
(called sieve plates) which
allow easy flow of substances from
one cell to the next
 The transport of sucrose and amino
acids in phloem, from regions of
production to regions of storage or
use, is called translocation
  Transport in the phloem goes in many different directions depending on the stage
of development of the plant or the time of year; however dissolved food is always
transported from source (where it’s made) to sink (where it’s stored or used):
o 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
o 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
o 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

17. What are the soluble products of photosynthesis?

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18. In what are they transported around the plant?

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19. Compare these cells and xylem vessels?

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20. What is special about the sieve plates?

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21. Define translocation?

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 Definition in your own words for this context Facts/characteristics/picture

Sink
Sentence with the word used Sentence with the word used
accurately incorrectly/other meanings of
the word

22. What is the difference between a source and a sink?

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23. Complete the table:

Time Source Sink

Winter

Growth period

(Spring)
Leaves

The table below summarises the main points about the xylem and phloem
Tissue XYLEM PHLOEM
 Diagram

Sugar and amino acids produced in

Water and minerals from the roots to
Transport leaves during photosynthesis to every
the shoots and leaves (One-way)
part of the plant. (In all directions)

Process Transpiration Translocation

Cylindrical cells arranged end to end, in
which the cytoplasm dies and the cell
Structure walls between adjoining cells breaks
down leaving a dead empty tube with
strengthened cell walls.
Phloem tubes are made up of columns
of living cylindrical cells. The cell walls
between adjoining cells develop holes
like a sieve allowing transport through
the tube.

24. Make a table to compare transport in the phloem with transport in the xylem. Include
such features as substances transported, direction of movement in the stem and the
types of cells in the two tissues. Use three columns headed: features, phloem and
xylem.

25. What are the materials transported in the phloem used for??

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 26. Explain how a potato tuber can be a source and a sink at different times of the year.

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Aphids and phloem transport

Aphids are small insects that feed on the
sap in the phloem of plants. They have
piercing mouthparts called stylets, which can
be inserted through the surface of the stem
into a single phloem tube. The pressure of
the sap inside the phloem tube causes it to
pass along the stylet and so provide the
aphid with food. Aphids can be used to
study the transport of sugars in the phloem.
If the stylet of a feeding aphid is cut, the
sugary sap will pass out of the stylet for
some time. Sucrose that has been labelled
with a radioactive isotope can be injected into a leaf and samples collected from aphid
stylets that have been inserted into the stem above and below the leaf. The contents of
the sap can be analysed for the isotope and the passage of the sucrose traced.

Maple syrup and phloem

Maple syrup is prepared from phloem sap of maple trees.
Farmers drill holes into the tree and insert tubes through
which the sap flows and collects in buckets.

Different isotopes of the same element have the same number of protons in their atomic
nuclei but differing numbers of neutrons. Radioisotopes are radioactive isotopes of an
element. Isotopes of an element can exist where the atoms have different numbers of
neutrons.A stable atom will have a stable number of neutrons. An unstable nucleus will decay
and emit radioactivity. Biologists can detect the presence of the isotope and therefore use it for
tracing the movement of specific substances

EXAM TIP
Movement of water and ions in the xylem is only one way upwards from the roots. The
transport of substances in the phloem is in both directions. In the growing season it is
downwards from leaves to roots and upwards from leaves to stem tips, where growth
occurs, and to flowers, fruits and seeds. Remember this when answering

27. What type of organism are aphids?

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 28. What are aphid mouthparts called?

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29. What do aphids feed on?

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30. What are the soluble products of photosynthesis?

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31. What is a radioactive isotope?

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32. How are aphids used to investigate movement in phloem?

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33. Farmers and growers control aphids by spraying insecticides. Explain why this is
necessary.

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