Transportation in Plants

8.1: Transport System

LO:
State the functions of xylem and phloem
Identify the position of xylem and phloem in
transverse sections of root, stems and leaves.
Transport in Plants
Plants have two different types of 'transport'
tissue.
Xylem transports water and solutes from the
roots to the leaves, phloem transports food
from the leaves to the rest of the plant.
A group of xylem vessels and phloem tubes is
called a vascular bundle.
Xylem

Xylem cells have extra reinforcement in
their cell walls, and this helps to support
the weight of the plant.
Stem the xylem and phloem are arranged in bundles near the edge of the
stem to resist compression and bending forces.
Comparison of Xylem and Phloem
Tissue Process Functions Structure
Xylem Transpiration
Transport water
and mineral ions
up to the leaves
Columns of hollow, dead
reinforced cells.
Their walls are made of
cellulose and lignin.
Phloem Translocation
Transport
sucrose and
amino acids
down to the
roots and up to
the flowers and
fruits.
Columns of living cells
joined end to end.
Each sieve tube element
has a companion cell next
to it.
Companion cell have
nucleus.


Xylem Vessel and Phloem Sieve Tube
Distribution of Xylem and Phloem

Distribution of xylem and phloem tissue in
roots of dicotyledonous plants
ALBIO9700/2006JK
ALBIO9700/2006JK
Distribution of xylem and phloem tissue
in stems of dicotyledonous plants
ALBIO9700/2006JK
Distribution of xylem and phloem tissue
in leaves of dicotyledonous plants
Comparison between monocots and dicots

Learning Check!
Plenary
1. Xylem vessels transport water and mineral
ions from the roots up the stem to the
leaves.
2. Phloem vessels transport sucrose, made in
the leaves during photosynthesis and in
storage organs, to other parts of the plant.
3. Xylem and phloem are distributed in a central
core inside a root. Inside a stem they are
organised into vascular bundles.

8.2: Water Uptake
LO:
Identify root hairs as seen under microscope
and relate their structures to water uptake.
State the pathway taken by water through
root, stem and leaf
The Internal Structure of a root
Root Hairs
Adaptations:
- many root hairs
- long extension, thin
- permeable cell walls
To provide large surface
area which water and
mineral ions are
absorbed.
water potential gradient
Root hair
Xylem
vessels
Leaves
air
How water is absorbed by a plant?
Roots
Plants absorb water from the soil by osmosis.
Root hair cells are adapted for this by having a
large surface area to speed up osmosis.
The absorbed water is transported through the
roots to the rest of the plant where it's used
for different purposes:
1. It's a reactant used in photosynthesis
2. It supports leaves and shoots by keeping the cells
rigid
3. It cools the leaves by evaporation
4. It transports dissolved minerals around the plant
Soil water is a dilute solutions
which contains mineral ions
such as nitrate and potassium.
The cell sap in the root hair
cells is more concentrated
solution than soil water. This is
because root hair cells absorb
mineral ions and contains
sugar.
Therefore, water diffuses from
soil into the root hair cells by
osmosis.
How water is absorbed by a plant?
How water is absorbed by a plant?
Water then pass across the cortex
of the root. Most of the water
moves through the cell walls and in
the spaces between the cells. Some
moves from cells to cells. Water
eventually reaches the xylem in the
centre of the root.
From here water moves up the
xylem through the stem and to the
leaves where it enters the spongy
mesophyll cells.
Much of the water enters the cell
walls, evaporates to form water
vapour and then diffuses through
stomata to the atmosphere.
Extension:
Transpiration Pull:
Transpiration is the evaporation of water from
the leaves and the loss of water vapour to the
atmosphere through the stomata.
Water is pulled up the xylem in the stem from
the roots to the leaves by transpiration pull.
Transpiration Pull
The mass flow of water up the xylem relies on
two properties of water:
Cohesion- the water molecules tend to attract
each other, sticking together.
Adhesion the water molecules tend to stick
to the inside of the xylem vessel.
The movement of water up the xylem is called
the transpiration stream.
Transpiration Stream
Learning Check!
Learning Check 2
Plenary
1 Water enters a root hair cell by osmosis. It then
passes across the cells of the root cortex by
osmosis before passing into the xylem and then
up the stem to the leaves.
2 Root hairs are well adapted for the absorption of
water since they have thin cell walls and have a
large surface area.
3 Loss of water from the leaves 'pulls' more water
up the stem from the roots in the transpiration
stream.