How do plants get what they need? What do plants need for healthy growth? minerals water sunlight oxygen for respiration carbon dioxide for photosynthesis Where do plants get these nutrients? Like all organisms, plants have to get materials for growth from their environment. Plants must then get these nutrients to the part of the plant that needs them.
How are plants adapted for transport? The structures of cells and tissue in different parts of the plant are adapted to allow transportation of essential materials. Leaves are entry and exit points for the gases needed by plants.
Stems connect the roots to
the leaves, flowers and fruits. They contain cells specially adapted for transportation of water, minerals and sugars.
Plants use carbon dioxide during photosynthesis and
produce oxygen. These gases move in and out of the plant through the leaves by diffusion. When the concentration of carbon dioxide inside the plant is low, it will diffuse in from the air, through pores in the leaves into the plant cells. If the concentration of oxygen is high inside the plant, it will diffuse from the plant cells through the pores and into the air.
How are leaves adapted for diffusion? The diffusion of gases occurs in the leaves. They are adapted for this function in the following ways: Leaves are thin. This decreases the distance gases have to travel between the air and cells.
There are air spaces
between cells. This increases the speed of diffusion from the air to the cells inside the leaf.
How is the rate of transpiration measured? Transpiration can be measured using a potometer. A cut plant stem is sealed into the potometer using a rubber bung. An air bubble is introduced to the capillary tube. The distance the bubble travels shows how much water the stem has taken up.
Glossary (1/2) phloem – Plant tissue that transports food. potometer – A piece of equipment that can be used to indirectly measure the rate of transpiration. root hair cell – A thin, hair-like outgrowth on roots. transpiration – The evaporation and diffusion of water from leaves into the air. sieve tube – A series of joined phloem cells. stoma (singular) – A single hole on the lower surface of the leaf that allows gases in and out. stomata (plural) – Small holes in the lower surface of a leaf that allow gases in and out. vascular bundle – A grouping of transport tissues. xylem – Plant tissue that transports water and minerals.