Structure of the xylem tissue

Xylem vessels consist of

dead cells.
 They have a thick, strengthened lignin cell
wall with a hollow lumen.
 The end walls of the cells have disappeared,
so a long, open tube is formed.
 The walls of the xylem vessel contains holes
called pits which water enters through

The xylem vessel is specialized to transport

water and dissolved minerals from the root up
to all the other parts of the plant, and also to
helps supporting the stem and strengthening it.
Structure of the phloem tissue
 This is a long tube that runs alongside the xylem tissue. They
are made of long narrow tubes with perforated sieve plates
along the thin length.
 The function of the phloem tissue is to transport food
nutrients such as glucose and amino acids from the leaves
and to all other cells of the plant, this is called translocation.
 Unlike the xylem, the phloem tissue is made of columns of
living cells, s which contains a cytoplasm but no nucleus, and
its activities are controlled by a companion cell next to it
which has a nucleus, but companion cells have no function
in translocation.
Adaptations of xylem :
1.Lignin present : lignin is water proof
and prevents any loss from the xylem .
2.No nucleus or Cytoplasm (no cell
contents ): to allow a smooth flow of
water.
3.End walls dissolved : to allow a free
smooth passage of water .
4. Low pressure at the top of the xylem
and high pressure at the bottom of the
xylem causes suction pressure and
transpiration pull.
Plants take in water from the soil, through their
root hairs:

 At the very tip is a root cap.

 This is a layer of cells which protects the root
as it grows through the soil.
 The rest of the root is covered by a layer of
cells called the epidermis. The root hairs are a
little way up from the root tip.

 Each root hair is a long epidermal cell. Root

hairs do not live for very long.
 As the root grows, they are replaced by new
ones.
 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hw7K5H06pGM&ab_chan
nel=PeterWeatherall

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cnk3BJDBqIo&ab_channel
=INNOVATION3D
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U4rzLhz4HHk&ab_channel
=TutorVista
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JFb-CWlz7kE&ab_channel
=SymBios
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lwalf3d5fwA&ab_channel
=BestforNEET
Passage of water through root, stem and
leaf
 Water enters root hair cells by osmosis.
 This happens when the water potential in
the soil surrounding the root is higher than in
the cell à water diffuses from the soil into
the root hair, down its concentration
gradient.
 As the water enters the cell, its water
potential becomes higher than in the cell
next to it, e.g. in the cortex.
 So water moves, by osmosis, into the next
cell.
 Some of water may also just seep through
the spaces between the cells, or through the
cell walls, never actually entering a cell.
 Water vapour evaporating from a leaf creates a kind of suction, its pressure at the top of the
vessels is lower than that at the bottom à water move up the stem in the xylem, more water
is drawn into the leaf from the xylem.
 This creates a transpiration stream, pull.
pulling water up from the root.
1.Mature xylems cells have no cell
contents, so they act like open-ended
tubes allowing free movement of water
through them.
2.Roots also produce a root pressure,
forcing water up xylem vessels.
3.Water moves from xylem to enter
leaf tissues down water potential
gradient.
In the leaves, water passes out of the
xylem vessels into the surrounding
cells.
Root pressure is a force or the hydrostatic pressure generated in the
roots that help in driving the fluids and other ions from the soil in
upwards directions into the plant's vascular tissue – Xylem. This
process is produced by osmotic pressure in the cells of the root.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nFL2YNgNb68&list=RDCM
UCPCEvMNPoFYZZUaPVPH-Fmw&ab_channel=TutorVista
•Transpiration stream:
•water moves from root cells to xylem by cell-to-cell osmosis.
• this increases the pressure in the roots.
• evaporation/transpiration of water in the leaves at the top of the xylem, followed
by diffusion of water vapour though stomata reduces the pressure at the top.
• pressure gradient causes water to move up, by transpirational pull.
• water moves up in a continuous column.
• Cohesion between water molecules helps water move as a continuous column.
• adhesion causes water molecules to stick to lignin, allowing a continuous column of
water.
•transpiration as loss of water vapour from plant leaves by evaporation of water at the
surfaces of the mesophyll cells followed by diffusion of water vapour through the stomata

The cohesive forces present between the water molecules keeps them
together and provides stability to them. The adhesive forces help the
water molecules to stick to other surfaces like glasses, leaves, or any
other plant surfaces. The water molecules stick to these surfaces and thus
do not runoff.
Transpiration in plants and factors affecting transpiration rate
•Process of transpiration:
• The palisade and spongy mesophyll cells have a very large surface area, so osmosis takes
place and water moves from a region of high water potential inside these cells to a region
of low water potential in the air gaps outside the cells, through
a partially permeable membrane and along the water potential gradient.
• The water is now on the surface of the mesophyll cells.
• Since they have a very large surface area, evaporation takes place and water is converted
to water vapour.
• This water vapour diffuses from a region of high concentration in the air gaps to a region of
low concentration outside the leaf, through the stomata and along a concentration gradient.
This is known as Transpiration.
Advantages of transpiration:
1. Keeps water moving up the xylem vessels due to
transpirational pull that is created .
2. Evaporation helps cool the leaves.
Because of this, the transpiration rate is increased by an
increase in light intensity. *
Most of the factors that result in a change in transpiration rate
are linked to diffusion. When writing explanation, try to include
references to the concentration gradient caused by a change in
the factor.
•Wilting:
• when the absorption rate of water is less than the rate of transpiration. This causes loss of water through cell-
to-cell osmosis, causing plant cells to become flaccid, and the plant starts to wilt.
• Due to transpiration, the guard cells in the leaves also become flaccid, and close, to prevent any further loss
of water.
 Adaptations of the leaf, stem and root to different environments
1. Marram grass
(Ammophila)

 Very long roots to search for water deep down in sand

dunes.
 Leaves that roll up in dry weather to increase humidity
around stomata, reducing transpiration.
 Sunken stomata to create high humidity and reduce
transpiration.
 Fine hairs around stomata, reducing air movement so
humidity builds up and transpiration is reduced.
Translocation of organic foods in
plants
Translocation is the movement of organic food such sucrose and
amino acids in phloem; from regions of production to regions of
storage OR regions of utilization in respiration or growth.
 Transport of materials from sources to sinks at different
seasons
https://www.blitznotes.org/ig/biology/index.html
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JFb-CWlz7kE&ab_channel
=SymBios
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5jJLfwTkGe8&ab_channel
=FreeAnimatedEducation
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DhyYtT1K844&ab_channel
=FreeAnimatedEducation