Transport in plants

A
Petso
Presentation
 Transport in plants
Objectives

Describe the general structure of a plant

Distinguish between monocotyledonous and dicotyledonous plants
Identify parts of the internal structure of a young dicotyledonous stem and root
Compare internal structure of dicotyledonous stem and root
State the functions of xylem and phloem vessels
Define transpiration
Describe the functions of transpiration
Investigate factors affecting rate of transpiration
Describe adaptations of leaves to minimize water loss
Describe how wilting occurs
Define translocation
Describe the effect of ring barking

2
 Describe the general structure of a plant

The general structure of most plants include

Leaves.
Stems.
Flowers and buds.
Seeds.
Roots.

3
 Distinguish between monocotyledonous and dicotyledonous plants

Monocotyledons
Long blade shaped leaves
Parallel veins
Fibrous roots
Seed has single cotyledon and a large endosperm as a food store.
Cotyledon remains underground when plant germinates, supplying it with food

Dicotyledons
Broad shaped leaves
Netted or branched veins
Tap root with lateral branches
Has two large cotyledons that serve as food reserves
Cotyledons come out of ground and serve as primary leaves until proper leaves
develop.

4
Internal structure of a dicotyledonous stem

5
Internal structure of a dicotyledonous root

6
 Internal parts of dicot root and stem
Epidermis is the outer layer

Cortex is the tissue between the vascular bundles and the epidermis. Its cells often store starch. In green stems, the
outer cortex cells contain chloroplasts and photosynthesize.

Pith is the centre part of the stem.

The cells of the pith and cortex act as packing tissues and help to support the stem

Xylem are long thin tubes with very strong walls made of lignin. Lignin appears as rings or coils or layers perforated at
intervals by tiny holes called pits. In mature plants xylem are usually compressed to form wood.
 
Xylem support softer tissue of roots, stems and leaves against force of gravity and pressure by strong winds.
It helps plants stay firm and upright.
They transport water and minerals from soil up the plant.
 
Phloem are vascular tissues that carry from food from leaves to all parts of the plant. (see ring barking )

Collectively xylem and phloem are called vascular bundles and they give plants support to stand upright.

Root hairs are tube like outgrowth from root. In the soil, the root hairs grow between the soil particles and stick closely
to them and take up water from the soil by osmosis and absorb mineral salts by active transport

The cambium is a dividing zone that produces phloem and xylem vessels

7
Identify parts of the internal structure of a
dicotyledonous stem

8
 Movement of water and food through xylem and phloem.

Place a leafy shoot in water containing a dye. After an hour remove the shoot and cut it
across, (cross section).

The red dye marks a region on the vascular bundle. As water moves up the plant, it carries
the dye up the plant. The part marked by the dye is the xylem.

Add some drops of iodine solution on the cross section. A blue/black region shows on the
vascular bundle. This is where food/starch moves up and down the plant. This is the
phloem.

9
 Water and ion uptake

Root hairs are site for entry of plant’s water and mineral ions.

Root hairs are elongated epidermal cells extending between soil particles.
Water enters by osmosis when there is a low water concentration/low
osmotic potential in root hair cell and high in the soil.

Osmosis/passive uptake is movement of water from region of high osmotic

potential to a region of low osmotic potential that maintains a concentration
gradient. A concentration gradient is difference in solute concentration.

Active uptake/transport is movement of food and mineral ions against a

concentration gradient usually using energy from respiration. Mineral ions
move up the plant through this process

10
 Transpiration

Transpiration
 
Process by which plants lose water as water vapour through leaves, stem and flowers,
into the atmosphere.
 
Functions of transpiration
 
Evaporation of water from leaves cause tugor pressure to fall and concentration of cell
sap to rise. Osmotic potential decreases causing cells to absorb water from surrounding
xylem and finally from roots. The roots in turn absorb water from the soil, generating a
transpiration stream.
 
Transpiration stream causes mineral ions and water to move into roots.
 
Water has a high specific heat capacity and when it evaporates it absorbs latent heat
from leaf tissue leaving the plant cooler.

11
 Investigating factors affecting transpiration

Using a potometer
Set up a potometer with a tightly fitting shoot under water so as to make it able to draw an air
bubble into the capillary tube quickly.

The shoot should be quickly placed in water to prevent air bubbles from being taken into water
vessels of stem.

A reservoir is used for resetting the air bubble once it moves out of measuring range

The potometer is then exposed to conditions of variable temperature, humidity light and wind.

12
 Factors affecting transpiration
Temperature.
High temperatures cause water particles to gain a lot of kinetic energy to change then into vapour making
them quickly evaporate.

Humidity.
When atmosphere is humid, evaporation is low as the air will be saturated with water. It wont take in any
more water particles. The reverse is true for a dry atmosphere.

Light intensity
In bright light, stoma is quite open hence they lose more water than in less light or at night and in shade
when they close.

Wind
In windy conditions transpiration is high as water particles escaping from leaves are quickly carried away
leaving room for more to leave the leaves.

Surface area
The larger the surface area on leaves the higher the rate of evaporation as the leaf would be exposed to
large surface area of agents for transpiration. The reverse is true for leaves with small surface area such as
needle shaped leaves.

Distribution of stoma
Plants lose water through stoma on leaves. The leaf side with more stoma lose more water 13
 Adaptations of leaves to minimise transpiration

Plants living in arid conditions have small and thin leaves. Some have leaves reduced to spines
and thorns so as to reduce surface area exposed.

Some plants e.g grasses curl their leaves inwards to reduce surface area exposed and to trap
water so creating a humid microclimate. Curling inwards also shields stoma from intense light.

Some plants have reduced stoma on the upper surface and numerous on the underside so as to
shield the leaf from agents of transpiration.

Some plants have thick, waxy, shiny waterproof cuticle and hairs to reduce transpiration.

In temperate climate, deciduous trees shed leaves in winter and tropical trees leaves are shed in
summer to minimise loss of water.

Desert plants hug the ground to minimise water loss by prevailing winds.

Globular leaves to reduce surface area exposed.

Sunken stoma to create micro habitat that traps moisture.

14
 Wilting and translocation

Wilting
Happens when plant loses more water than they can absorb from soil water. Water is
lost from the vacuoles.

Tugor pressure decreases and they no longer push out against cell wall.
Plant becomes limp and flaccid.

Stem droops and is weak. The plant is said to wilt.

Translocation
This is movement of food from the leaves to all part of the plant. Movement is up to
parts of plant above photosynthesising leaf and down to roots.

Evidence from girdling, where the bark is ringed off on woody stem shows that the
phloem is the vessel for transpiration.

15
 Ring barking

Ring barking suppresses root growth eventually leading to death of plant as no food will reach the
rooting system.

Ring barking is essentially used to depopulate an area of trees while the whole plant remains upright
but dead. This minimises erosion.
16
Thank you for watching

A
Petso
Presentation

17