Topic 9.

1
Xylem Transport
Transpiration
● Transpiration is a consequence of Gas exchange in the leaf
● During photosynthesis, the water in the leaf turns into a vapour
● This water leaves the leaf through the stomata during gas exchange

● This causes a water pressure gradient to be formed

● With low pressure in the leafs and high pressure in the roots
● Hence the water is pulled up the pressure gradient by transpiration pull
Evaporation
● The process of photosynthesis creates heat which evaporates water from the
spongy mesophyll
● This water leaves through the stomata
● Creating a negative pressure gradient
● Negative pressure creates a tension force in the leaf cell that pulls water from
the Xylem
● Water is pulled under tension due to adhesive forces of water with leaf cell
wall.
Regulating water loss
● The stomata is an opening with Guard cells around it.
● When the plant wilts due to water loss Mesophyll cells secrete Abscisic acid
● Abscisic acid causes the efflux of potassium ions in Guard cells
● This decreases the water potential in the cells
● The cells become flaccid due to loss of turgor and close the opening

● Photosynthesis affects gas exchange and hence transpiration

● Other factors such as Humidity, Wind, Light intensity and Temperature also
affect the transpiration rate.
Transpiration Stream
● “The flow of water from the roots to the leaf against the flow of gravity”
● Involves two key properties of water: Cohesion and Adhesion

● Cohesion is the ability to stick to oneself: Water sticking to itself

● Water is polar and H-O bonds which allow it to form Hydrogen bonds.
● This allows for a uninterrupted stream of water to the leaf

● Adhesion is the ability to stick to anything else: Water sticking to Xylem walls.
● The Xylem wall is also polar and can interact with the water.
● This creates further tension as the water tugs the xylems walls as it flows
Structure of Xylem
● The Xylem facilitates movement of water around the plant.
● It’s composed of dead cells that have no protoplasm and are hollow to allow
the movement of water
● The movement of water is entirely passive and occurs in one direction only.

● The cell wall contains numerous pores called pits to allow transfer between
cells
● The Xylem wall is made of thick cellulose reinforced with lignin to support the
tension of the water
● Can be Tracheids or vessel elements Annular or Spiral
Structure of Roots
● Roots need maximal surface area to optimise uptake
● For this some plants have
1. Fibrous Highly Branching Root System
2. A main tap root with lateral branches, which penetrates the soil

● The epidermis of roots may have cellular extensions called Root hairs.
● Materials absorbed by root epidermis diffuse across the cortex towards a
central stele where the Xylem is
● The central stele is surrounded by the Casparian Strip; a membrane across
which water and minerals are Actively pumped to control rate of uptake.
Mineral Uptake
● Minerals need to be taken from the soil: like Mg for Chlorophyll abd Nitrates
for Amino acids.
● Mineral Ions may passively diffuse into the roots
● Or they are indirectly pumped into the roots
● Roots contain H+ pumps and pump out H+ that displace other positive
mineral ions which are absorbed
● Or the negative mineral ions bind to H+ ions and be reabsorbed.
Water Uptake
● Water follows the mineral ions into the roots moving towards higher solute
concentration
● The rate of water uptake is regulated by special channels called Aquaporins
● Once in the root water moves towards the Xylem either via the Cytoplasm or
via the cell wall
Xylem structure pt 2
● When drawing Xylems a few features must be kept in mind

● Vessel Elements should be drawn as a continuous tube

● The Xylem vessel should contain gaps for exchange of water
● Lignin represented as rings or spiral
● Remnants of fused wall as indents
Water conservation
● Xerophytes(desert plants)
-Reduced leaves in total: Less places to lose water
-Rolled leaves: Reducing surface area available for water loss
-Thick, waxy cuticle: Waxy Cuticle prevents water loss from leaf
-Stomata in pits, with hairs that trap water vapours, Slows transpiration
-Low growth height: Less growth means less wind which means less loss
-Crassulacean acid metabolism: Open their stomata at night
Halophytes(salty plants)
● Cellular sequestration - Ions are held in vacuoles
● Tissue partitioning - Plants concentrate salts in particular leaves
● Exclusion at roots - Root structure allows upto 95% of the salt to be excluded.
● Salt excretion - Parts of the plant may have salt glands to excrete salts
● Altered flowering schedule - Flowering in rainy seasons to minimise salt
exposure.
Experiments
● The movement of water in Xylem can be modelled by
● Capillary tubing - Capillary action
● Filter paper - water will rise up perpendicular filter paper
● Porous pots - Loss of water through pots is similar to loss in leaves

Potometer

● Use of Potometer to measure effect of Temperature, Humidity, Light, etc on

Transpiration