Vascular Tissue

Vascular tissue is composed of cells that specialize in the

transport of water, nutrients and products of photosynthesis.

Specifically, vascular tissue is composed of two different

tissues, xylem and phloem.

Xylem Tissue
Xylem transports water and minerals from the roots upwards
Movement is only in one direction

At maturity, xylem cells die leaving behind hollow cells

Hollow cells are efficient at transporting water

Xylem are composed of: Tracheids Hollow cells with pits Vessel elements hollow cells with pores

Maple Syrup Production

Sap is a source of energy! Sap, (sugar dissolved in water) moves through the xylem During the spring thaw, an incision is made into certain maple trees

and a stem used to guide the sap into a collecting vessel

Rich in sugar, the syrup is boiled to concentrate further Canada makes over 80% of the world's maple syrup, producing about

26.5 million liters (7000558 Gallons) a year

Phloem Tissue
Phloem tissue transports sugars and solutes throughout the plant Unlike mature xylem cells, phloem cells are living

Phloem is composed of:

Sieve tube elements Companion cells
Movement is bidirectional
From roots to leaves
From leaves to roots

Sieve Tube Elements and Companion Cells

Sieve tube elements are:

Cells specialized to move sugars Lose most organelles, including nuclei and ribosomes at maturity Gain thick secondary cell walls and sieve plates

Companion cells are:

Cells that support sieve tube cells Support involves producing proteins

and energy for both cells

Mechanism of Transport - Translocation

Translocation is the movement of solutes through the phloem This is a process that uses energy (active transport) as a solute, such

as sucrose is transported from an area of high solute concentration (source) to an area of low solute concentration (sink)

Show pressure_flow video

What's Wrong With the Celery?

Overview: Students will observe how a stem works Materials: Celery (including leaves), two cups,

red and blue food colouring, recording worksheet Preparation: Trim the bottom of the celery stalks
Procedure: (1) Explain the function of stems

(2) Explain that we will now see what it looks like when a plant drinks (3) Fill two cups with water and each with different food colouring (use enough to make results dramatic) (4) Place celery stalks in water and monitor the, the stalks and leaves should change colour
Activity modified from: http://www.co.brown.wi.us/i_brown/d/uw_extension/plant_parts_6-22-2010.pdf

Stem Development
Stems increase in length through cell division in apical meristems Stems increase in width by cell division occurring in lateral meristems As the cells of the lateral meristem (vascular cambium) divide, a

phloem cell is produced moving outwards, and an xylem cell produced moving toward the inside of the stem

New phloem cells crush old phloem cells, producing a bark layer New xylem cells press inwards and produces wood

 Show secondary_growth video

Bark
Bark covers the stems and roots of most woody plants

Bark functions to:

Protect from microbial and insect infections/infestations Reduce water loss Protect the inner tissues from changes in temperature

Birch Tree

Red Pine

Ash Tree

Wood
Wood is composed of xylem tissue and provides the strength

necessary for woody plants to grow taller

The annual ring observed in the stem of perennial woody

plants shows the amount of xylem produced each year.

The number of annual rings indicates the age of the woody plant

and the size of the ring varies with external seasonal conditions

Plant Adaptations
Like roots, stem structure relates to stem function Plants evolve to meet the rigors of their environment, in

much the same way as animals

Cacti stems are adapted to hold water, helping the plant to

survive its desert habitat

Leaves
Leaves are the major sites of photosynthesis and gas exchange
Leaves contain chlorophyll, a light capturing green pigment Using light energy, carbon dioxide and water, the plant

performs photosynthesis to produce sugars and starches

Cedar

Spruce

Pine

Leaf Structure
The leaf and stem meet at a point called the node
The distance between successive nodes is canned the internode

Each leaf is connected to the stem by a stalk called a petiole

The petiole also carries the vascular bundles from the stem to

the leaves, where they allow material transport

Leaf Structure
The blade is the flattened main body of the leaf If the leaf has a single, undivided blade, it is a simple leaf A blade divided into two or more leaflets, is a compound leaf

Simple leaves

Compound leaves

Broad leaves absorb more light, due to their larger surface area

Stomata Gas Exchange

During photosynthesis, the presence of stomata allows the leaf to

regulate gas exchange with the external environment

Stomata are tiny pores found within the lower epidermis of leaves Within plants, gas exchange involved acquiring the carbon dioxide

necessary for photosynthesis and removing waste oxygen gas

Stomata Guard Cells

A pair of guard cells, found on both sides of the stomata regulate its

opening and closing in response to water levels and carbon dioxide

When the guard cells are swelled with water, they resemble kidney

beans, allowing the stomata to open and gas exchange to occur

When the guard cells lose water, they become limp and flaccid,

forcing the stomata closed, and reducing gas exchange

Stomata Guard Cell Regulation

Guard cells are atypical epidermal cells in that they possess large

amounts of chloroplasts, allowing them to photosynthesize

During the night, water builds up in leaf tissues, increasing turgor

pressure, causing guard cells to swell, opening the stomata and allowing carbon dioxide to enter the plant and oxygen gas to exit

Stomata Guard Cell Regulation

During the day, stored carbon dioxide is used for photosynthesis,

producing waste oxygen gas, which is expelled from the leaf.

Concurrently, the water concentration in the plant tissue decreases,

causing the guard cells to go flaccid, closing the stomata

A closed stomata cannot exchange gas with the environment

 Play stomata video

Stomata Demo
http://www.btanj.org/demo/2007/stomata.pdf

Mechanism of Transport: Transpiration

Transpiration is the diffusion of water movement through stomata

within the leaves

As water transpires from the leaves, a reduction in water pressure is

created, causing water to flow upwards from the roots, an area of relatively high water pressure. This lost water is replaced by osmosis between the roots and soil

Osmosis and Transpiration

The pressure built up from the movement of water into the root by

osmosis is referred to as root pressure.

Water movement upwards through the stem of tall plants, results

from an osmotic push and a transpiration pull.

These are two forces that forces together can bring water to the top of

the tallest trees.

Adhesion and Cohesion

Water can move upwards through the xylem as a result of adhesion

and cohesion.
Adhesion is the property of dissimilar molecules to cling together. Water molecules cling to the sides of the xylem tube Similar to dew on a spider web Cohesion is the of property of similar molecules to stick together. Water is strongly cohesive as a result of hydrogen bonding between

water molecules.

 As a result of transpiration water is moved out of the plant,

cohesion and adhesion, along with the upward forces provided by transpiration and osmotic pressure ensure more water is pulled up the stem to replace the lost water.

Show cohesion_transport video