1.

7 – THE TRANSPORT OF
SUBSTANCES IN PLANTS

PREPARED BY :
En. Muhd Fazli Dollah
 LEARNING
OUTCOMES
• To state the necessity for transport
of substances in plants
• To identify the vascular tissue in
stem, root & leaf
• To state the role of vascular tissue in
the transport of substances
• To describe the structure of vascular
tissue
• To relate the structure of xylem to
transport
 plants

need
Water & mineral Food

Capillary
action Transported by

Root involves
involves
pressure xylem phloem translocation

Transpirational pull Relate to

structure
Results in Relate to
Transpiration
affecting Vascular
tissues
Factors
2. Air movement Found in
3. Temperature stem root
4. Light intensity leaf
5. Relative humidity
 NECESSITY
• Essential to transport water &
mineral salts absorbed by the
roots have to be transported to
all parts of the plants.

• Water – as a solvent for

biochemical rxns, as reactants in
cell metabolism (ex.:light rxn)
• Mineral ions – for chlorophyll synthesis,
healthy plant growth & development.

• Organic food materials synthesised by the

leaves during photosynthesis have to be
transported to the growing regions,
storage organs & other parts of the plant.

• Small, simple multicellular plants no need

vascular system b’coz have a large TSA/V
ratio.
• Large flowering plant @ angiosperms
, conifer n ferns have a small TSA/V
ratio n the substances have to move
a greater distance  need vascular
system

• Unlike animals, plants are unable to

pump necessary substances through
great distances, sometimes requiring
the need to defy gravity.

• To overcome, plants use a

combination of root pressure,
 Tissue in
Stem, Root &
• XYLEMLeaves
– transport water &
mineral salts
• PHLOEM – transport organic
substances
• Vascular system is not involved
in the transport of oxygen &
carbon dioxide.
 STRUCTURE OF XYLEM IN
RELATION TO TRANSPORT
• It has two important functions :
– It transport water & mineral ions from
roots to the upper parts of the plant
– It also provide mechanical support to
the plant
• In flowering plants, the xylem
consists of xylem vessels, tracheids,
parenchyma & fibres.
• The vessels are elongated cells
arranged end to end. To allow water
• The end walls of the vessels have broken
down to provide an uninterrupted flow of
water up the plant.

• The side walls of xylem vessels are

perforated by pits, which allow water &
mineral salts to pass sideways.

• The lignified walls make the xylem vessels

rigid to prevent them from collapsing
under the large tension forces set up by
the transpiration pull.
• The narrowness of the lumen of xylem
vessels increases the capillarity forces.

• The lignified walls of the xylem vessels

increase the adhesion of water molecules
& helps the water to rise by capillarity.

• Mature vessels are dead cells with no

protoplasm to obstruct the flow.
• Conifers & ferns do not have xylem
vessels. They only have tracheids
which are less efficient in water
transport.

• Tracheids do not have open ends to

form a continuous hollow tube to
pass water from cell to cell through
pits.
 STRUCTURE OF PHLOEM IN
RELATION TO TRANSPORT
• Transports organic food substances (sucrose
& amino acids) from leaves to various plant
parts

• Consists mainly of sieve tubes & companion

cells

• A sieve tube is a cylindrical tube made up of

elongated living sieve tube cells.
• The cross-walls separating the
sieve tube cells are perforated by
small pores. The cross-walls with
the pores look like a sieve & are
called sieve plates.

• There are cytoplasmic

connections between the sieve
tube cells through the sieve
pores. (allow the flow of dissolved
food materials from one sieve
tube cell to the next).
• Mature sieve tubes  many cell organelles
including nucleus degenerate.

• A thin layer of cytoplasm & some

mitochondria are found lining the inside of
the thin cellulose cell wall  less
resistance to the rapid flow of nutrient
solution through the sieve tube cells.

• Companion cells are only found in

flowering plant, not in conifers or ferns. Its
adjacent & closely associated with the
sieve tube cells.
• Each companion cells has a
nucleus, dense cytoplasm &
many mitochondria.

• Help to transport manufactured

food from leaf cells into the sieve
tubes.

• Many mitochondria to generate

ATP needed for active transport
• When a stem of a woody plant is
ringed, the bark containing tissues
external to the xylem (including
phloem tissue) is removed

• Nutrient solution containing organic

substances is prevented from being
transported to the roots.

• Food materials would accumulate in

the outer stem, above the ringed
region of the plant.
• In early stage, no wilting because
xylem vessels can still transport
water & minerals from the roots
to the upper parts of the plant.

• The plant eventually wilt & die

because food synthesised in the
leaves cannot be transported to
the root cells  can no longer
absorb water & mineral salts
from the soil solution.
 FIRE!!!
WACHA!!!!