Chapter 36 Angiosperms and Water

How Plants Survive

Make own food from sunlight, water, and carbon dioxide

Also need nutrients most of which are extracted from the soil They conduct photosynthesis and respiration

Figure 36.2-3

CO2 H2O

O2 Sugar

Light

Transpiration

O2 H2O and minerals CO2

Seed Germination

Plant Organs are Modified

For example.Modified Stems

Plant Organs are Modified

For exampleStorage Roots

How does water get from the ground to the top of a Red Wood tree if plants do not have a heart to circulate fluids?

Fig 36.2 pg. 765

Water and Minerals Enter the Plant

Most water and mineral absorption occurs near root tips, where root hairs are located and the epidermis is permeable to water Root hairs account for much of the surface area of roots After soil solution enters the roots, the extensive surface area of cortical cell membranes enhances uptake of water and selected minerals The concentration of essential minerals is greater in the roots than soil because of active transport

Transport in Plants
The evolution of xylem and phloem in land plants made possible the longdistance transport of water, minerals, and products of photosynthesis Xylem transports water and minerals from roots to shoots Phloem transports photosynthetic products from sources to sinks

How Plants Survive

Make own food from sunlight, water, and carbon dioxide BUT also need nutrients most of which are extracted from the soil Soil, water, and air all contribute to plant growth

8090% of a plants fresh mass is water 4% of a plants dry mass is inorganic substances from soil 96% of plants dry mass is from CO2 assimilated during photosynthesis

Aquaporins are channels in the plasma membrane for the transport of water
Capillary space holds water; movement of water by osmosis

Extracting Nutrients from the Soil

Cations (for example K+, Ca2+, Mg2+) adhere to negatively charged soil particles; this prevents them from leaching out of the soil through percolating groundwater But makes it difficult for plants to absorb .so plants use cation exchange

Cation Exchange Mechanism

During cation exchange, cations are displaced from soil particles by other cations Displaced cations enter the soil solution and can be taken up by plant roots Negatively charged ions do not bind with soil particles and can be lost from the soil by leaching.this is where mycorrhizae help out.

Soil pH affects cation exchange and the chemical form of minerals Cations are more available in slightly acidic soil, as H+ ions displace mineral cations from clay particles The availability of different minerals varies with pH
For example, at pH 8 plants can absorb calcium but not iron

Figure 37.3

Soil particle K Mg
2

Ca

Ca2 H

H2O CO2

H2CO3

HCO3 H

Root hair Cell wall

Functions of the Symplast and Apoplast in Transport

Water and minerals can travel through a plant by three routes:

Transmembrane route: out of one cell, across a cell wall, and into another cell Symplastic route: via the continuum of cytosol Apoplastic route: via the the cell walls and extracellular spaces

The Endodermis: A Selective Sentry

The endodermis is the innermost layer of cells in the root cortex (=gate keeper) It surrounds the vascular cylinder and is the last checkpoint for selective passage of minerals from the cortex into the vascular tissue Water can cross the cortex via the symplast or apoplast The waxy Casparian strip of the endodermal wall blocks apoplastic transfer of minerals from the cortex to the vascular cylinder

Water and Mineral movement - Bulk Flow Is it root pressure? pushing (not enough pressure to get the job done)

Guttation

Cohesion-tension transport of water and nutrients - pulling

According to the cohesion-tension hypothesis, transpiration and water cohesion pull water from shoots to roots Xylem sap is normally under negative pressure, or tension Water molecules are attracted to cellulose in xylem cell walls through adhesion Adhesion of water molecules to xylem cell walls helps offset the force of gravity Cohesion of sater molecules to each other

Stomata Regulate the Rate of Transpiration About 95% of the water a plant loses escapes through stomata Each stoma is flanked by a pair of guard cells, which control the diameter of the stoma by changing shape Stomatal density is under genetic and environmental control

Figure 36.14

Leaf Stomata Guard Cells

ATP-dependent proton pump - membrane potential; AT of H+ out of guard cells & K+ in through specific membrane channels & water in turgor - opens

Fig. 36.15

Fig. 36.13 pg. 775

Sugars are Transported via the Phloem Bulk Flow by Positive Pressure: The Mechanism of Translocation in Angiosperms
The pressure flow hypothesis explains why phloem sap always flows from source to sink Self-thinning is the dropping of sugar sinks such as flowers, seeds, or fruits

Bulk Flow
Bulk flow by negative pressure

1. Loading of sugar

2. Uptake of water

3. Unloading of sugar

4. Water recycles

Fig. 36.18 Pg. 781

Pg.781

Experiments have built a strong case for pressure flow as the mechanism of translocation in angiosperms

Macronutrients and Micronutrients

Plants obtain nutrients by absorbing existing elements in the soil 17 essential elements required plant growth 9 macronutrients carbon, oxygen, hydrogen, nitrogen, phosphorus, sulfur, potassium, calcium, magnesium 8 micronutrients chlorine, iron, manganese, boron, zinc, copper, nickel, molybdenum

Table 37.1

Symptoms of Mineral Deficiency

Symptoms of mineral deficiency depend on the nutrients function and mobility within the plant Deficiency of a mobile nutrient usually affects older organs more than young ones Deficiency of a less mobile nutrient usually affects younger organs more than older ones The most common deficiencies are those of nitrogen, potassium, and phosphorus

Soils can become depleted of nutrients as plants and the nutrients they contain are harvested Use of fertilizers replace mineral nutrients that have been lost from the soil

Commercial fertilizers are enriched in nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), and potassium (K) Excess minerals are often leached from the soil and can cause algal blooms in lakes Organic fertilizers are composed of manure, fishmeal, or compost They release N, P, and K as they decompose

Genetic Modifications Improving Plant Nutrition Resistance to aluminum toxicity

Al in acidic soils damage Introduce bacterial genes cause plants to secrete acids that bind to and tie up aluminum
Flood tolerance Water logged soils deprive roots of oxygen Submergence 1A-1 submergence tolerance in flood resistant rice