Water Transport in Plants.

Water Potential
Water in plants. Key concepts
Water loss is an inevitable consequence of
a plant’s need to obtain carbon and release
oxygen. In essence, it is a side effect of
photosynthesis.
Evaporation from leaves can actually be
beneficial under some conditions, because
it cools the plant. If the lost water is not
replaced, plant cells will dry out and die.

Transpiration is water loss via evaporation

from the aerial parts of a plant
Transpiration occurs when:
1. Stomata are open
2. The air surrounding leaves is drier than the air inside leaves

Water. General features

The structure of water is unique—its small size, bent shape, highly polar covalent bonds,
and overall polarity.
Properties: Functions:
- Density (solid/liquid) - Acts as a metabolite
- Cohesion- Adhesion - Determines protein aggregation
- Water is a great solvent - Determines the diffusion of solutes
- Keeps cell turgor

Water Potential (Ψ)

Water content: amount of water in the plant.
Water potential (Ψ): ability of water molecules to move inside a system (Gibbs-free
energy of water in a system).

Depends on the number of free water molecules

Water movement
Higher free-energy Lower free-energy
(more free molecules) (less free molecules)

We can determine water movement in the plant

Water potential is:

- The potential energy that water has in a particular environment.
- Compared with the potential energy of pure water at atmospheric pressure and
room temperature.
 - Pure water has a water potential of 0.
Differences in water potential determine the direction that water moves. Water always
flows from areas of high-water potential to areas of lower water potential.

Units:
𝑾𝒐𝒓𝒌
Ψ Pure water= 0
Ψ= 𝑽𝒐𝒍𝒖𝒎𝒆 Work (Joules/Nxm) Ψ solution = (-)
Work required to pass a mass of bound water to free (pure) water
* , - *
Ψ= 𝒎𝟑
= 𝒎𝟐
= Pa MPa= 106 Pa = 10 Atmospheres

Components of water potential

Ψ = Ψp+ Ψs+ Ψm+ Ψg
Ψp = Pressure potential/component
Ψs or π = Solute or osmotic potential/component
Ψm = matrix potential / component (adhesion of water molecules to a surface (e.g. soil)

The potential energy of water in a particular location is the sum of the pressure
potential and the solute potential that it experiences.
Assume we can ignore the effects of gravity (Ψg =gravimetric potential)
Water potential is measured in units called megapascals (MPa, 106 Pa)

Ψs Solute or osmotic potential/component

Solute concentration affects water potential. Types of
solution that depend on solute concentration:
- Hypotonic
- Isotonic
- Hypertonic
Solute potentials are always negative because they are compared to water.

Ψm Matrix potential/ component

Measures the strength with which water molecules bind to solid soil particles.
Ψp Pressure potential/ component
Measures the pressure exerted by the vacuole
from the inside towards the wall.

Movement of water between two

compartments
Ψ1 = Ψp + (-Ψs) +(- Ψm) Ψ2 = Ψp + (-Ψs) +(- Ψm )
?
A A

Ψ Negative value means movement towards into

Ψ positive value means movement towards out
Absolut values (without sign) Means INTENSITY
Ψ1= -3 Ψ2= -4
Ψ1= -3 Ψ2= +4

Movement of water between compartments: from highest (least negative) to lowest

(most negative)

-0.5MPa

-3.5MPa
Movement of water through the plant
Roots
Ions entrance into the roots Anions
H+ Pumps (ATPases) Cations NO3-, PO4-, SO42-
Generate an Down their CONTRANSPORT
electrochemical electric gradient SYMPORT
potential difference (ANTIPORT)

The Role of the Casparian Strip

• The Casparian strip blocks the apoplastic pathway at the endodermis
• This strip is a ring of a waxy compound called suberin in the cell walls of
endodermal cells, and it forms a water-proof cylinder
• The Casparian strip is important because
– For water and solutes to reach vascular tissue, they have to move into the
cytoplasm of an endodermal cell.
– Endodermal cells, in
turn, act as filters
Apoplastic route: it goes
through the spaces between
the cells and through the pores
between the walls.

Symplastic route: it goes

through cytoplasms. uses
plasmodesmata to move from
one cell to another.

Leaves
The potential of the water causes the water to move passively. It works thanks to
transpiration, when the plant opens the stomata, it causes the loss of water that comes
from the roots. the forces of adhesion and cohesion cause the water to rise. Thanks to
transpiration, the water rises in a column. This is what is called bulk flow, movement of
water + solute molecules in one direction due to pressure differences.

Transpiration
Loss of water vapor through the stomata of the leaves, providing the necessary energy
for the suction of water in the root and stem. CO2 is captured through the stomata for
photosynthesis, so they have to open them, but it can become a conflict since they can
lose too much water. at night there is no photosynthesis, so the stomata are closed and
there is no loss of water. but for the day there is loss.
 REGULATED BY:
• Sun light (blue)
• ABA, Abbsicisc acid

Changes in the guard

cells and subsidiaries
cells turgor
• Ψs active changes
• Ψ changes

When there are turgor changes (changes in

the vacuole) in the occlusive or guard cells,
the subsidiaries will be the ones that open or
close the stoma that have cellulose
microfibrils that allow its opening.

Open Pore
There is a proton pump that spends ATP, so
that the cations go through the charge
difference. Chlorine also enters through a
cotransport with protons and they pass into
the vacuole through specific transporters.
Water passes from the companion cell to the
vacuole of the guard cell. Once it is filled
with water it swells and the pore opens by
thickening.

Closed Pore
A signal reaches the pore, abscisic acid (ABA), a plant hormone that stops the proton
pump. The potassium and chlorine begin to come out. Water moves from the guard cell
to the companion cell and the stoma closes.
REGULATION AND STOMATA CLOSURE
and OPENING under special conditions
• Atmospheric humidity
• Leaf water potential
• High temperatures
• Light breeze
• Wind
• Soil drought
 REASONS FOR STOMATA CLOSURE
The amount of intracellular CO2. It is an
opening signal if there is little and
closing if there is a lot.
Lack of water, always closing.
Light breeze displaces the stationary
face of air that influences the mobility of
CO2 and water.
When there is a strong wind, the
stationary layer is eliminated and it
enters more easily than CO2, but the water comes out easier and is lost.
If there is drought in the soil, the ABA is the closing signal. This travels through the xylem
to the leaves. With its signal, the leaves will be able to detect the absence of water. The
ABA will reach the occlusive cells where the proton
pumps that will be inhibited are located. Sheets store
ABA and redistribute it when needed.

Xylem
In the xylem, pressure potential is always negative
because transpiration creates an overpressure on
water. Pressure potential is more negative in this place
where overpressure is generated (upper part of the
plant).

Cavitation
If there is a strong difference between water potential
up and down, the water column can be broken, and air
bubbles are formed.

Guttation
Root Pressure
Stomata are closed during the night so how do water move up a plant during the night?
Root cells around the xylem pump solutes into the xylem -> water potential decreases
->water enters (process called ROOT PRESSURE)
Water goes out through special cells in the epidermis of leaves called hydathodes.