Biology Weekly Exercise

G10 PB S2 – Transport in plants (2)

Name: _______________________ Date: _________________________

Solve the following problems

The Transport of Water

1. The water moves from a region of ____________ to ______________ water potential. The movement of water
is ______________ as it is driven by evaporation from the leaves.

2. Fill in the blank

The energy of the sun causes water to evaporate from the leaves, a process called __________________. This
______________ the water potential in the leaves and set up a water potential gradient throughout the plabt.
Water moves _____________ this gradient from the soil into the plant – for example, through its root hairs.
Water the moves across the root into ___________________ in the centre. Once inside the xylem vessels, the
water _______________________ through the ___________ to the ____________ and from there into
__________.
3. Fill in the blank
From leaf to atmosphere – transpiration

4. The lost of water vapour from a plant to its environment, by diffusion down a water potential gradient, takes
place through the stomata in the leaves (___________________________)

5. The air in the internal spaces of the leaf has direct contact with the air outside the leaf, through small pores
(___________________)

6. Fill in the blank

Factors affecting transpiration

7. Match the factors affecting transpiration with its definition

If the water potential gradient between the air spaces Very dry conditions
in the leaf and the air outside becomes steeper, the
rate of transpiration will increase. (low humidity,
transpiration > high humidity)
Wind speed and
Transpiration may also be increased by an increase in temperature
wind speed or rise in temperature

Stomata open during the day and close at night.

Transpiration takes place through stomata, so the rate Light Intensity
of transpiration is almost zero at night

When the water potential gradient between internal

air spaces and the external air is steep, a plant may Humidity
have to compromise by partially or completely closing
its stomata to prevent its leaves drying out

8. Explain how plants can be wilted in hot conditions?

9. Plants that live in places where wwater is in short supply (________________________)

10. What are the special adaptations of xerophytes plants to leaves? Give an example

From xylem across the leaf

11. The water moves down a water potential gradient from cell in the leaf along two possible pathways :
a. Water moves from cell to cell via the plasmodesmata (______________________________)
b. Water moves through the cell walls (__________________________)

Xylem Tissue

12. The characteristics of xylem

- They are maade from cells ___________ end to end ______________
- The cells are _________________
- The walls of the cells are ________________ with a hard, strong material called ______________
13. Xylem tissue has two functions, namely ____________________ and ____________________
 14. In flowering plants, xylem tissue contains ___________________________, ____________________,
_________________, and ______________________
15. Match the xylem tissue with its definition

The cells that are involved with the transport of water Parenchyma cells

Elongated cells with lignified walls that help to support Vessel elements
the plant. They are dead cells, they have no living
contents at all

Sclerenchyma fibres
They my be used for storage of foods like starch

Xylem vessels and vessels elements

16. Vessels are made up of many elongated cells called _______________________

17. Lignin is a ________________, _______________________, _______________________________
18. These non-lignified areas can be seen as ‘gaps’ in the thick walls of the xylem vessels, and are called _________
19. Fill in the blank