Ch.

4 Plant Physiology

Net flow in whole plants

Some Key Concepts

Diffusion: movement of molecules from high to low concentration. Osmosis: diffusion across a semipermeable membrane. Mass or bulk flow: movement of fluid due to pressure or gravity differences.

Long-distance movement of water

Plants mostly obtain water & minerals from soil. Water moves up the xylem by bulk flow. Movement of water depends on transpiration pull, cohesion & adhesion of water molecules, capillary forces, and strong cell walls.

Fig. 39.12a

Fig. 39.12b

Ascent of xylem sap

transpirational pull
flow from greater to lower water concentration

relies on cohesion & adhesion of water

cavitation breaks chain of water molecules

Figure 35.11 Water-conducting cells of xylem

Other mechanisms of water transport not important.

Diffusion (note mosses, etc.) Capillary forces Osmotic pressure (guttation)

Fig. 39.11

The availability of soil water and minerals

Long-distance transport of water from roots to leaves

Mineral Uptake Key Points

Mineral movement to root by diffusion or bulk flow or root growth. Uptake controlled at root endodermis. Uptake by either simple diffusion (no protein), facilitated diffusion (protein channel), or active uptake (requires energy and a protein carrier). Organisms concentrate minerals and most other substances. Usually biggest energy expenditure of roots, cause nutrients are being concentrated.

Movement of sugars
Sugars (etc.) move from the source
Photosynthetic leaves Storage organ

To the sink
Growing organs Developing storage tissue

Through mass flow in phloem Pressure Flow Hypothesis

Phloem transport
pressure flow
1 high sugar concentration at source 2 sugar diluted with water from xylem creating pressure for flow 3 sugar unloaded at sink where it is metabolized or converted to starch 4 excess water flows to xylem back to source

translocation: movement of food from source to sink(s)

Pressure flow in a sieve tube

Transport Movies

Some hot areas in plant water and nutrient research

Improving plant water-use efficiency Improving salt tolerance Improving nutritional value of plants (e.g., golden rice, increasing Fe content) Phytoremediation

Life on Earth depends on flow of energy from sun

Life processes are driven by energy

Plants are dynamic metabolic systems
1000s of reactions occur every second

Processes can be
energy consuming (endergonic) or energy releasing (exergonic) and catabolic (breakdown) or anabolic (synthesis)

Fig. 8.6

Fig. 8.7

The most common and important forms of cellular energy.

Chemical bonds (e.g., ATP, CH2O) Electrons (redox reactions) Electrochemical gradients

Fig. 8.14

Cellular respiration
Chemical-bond energy in sugars is converted to energy-rich compound ATP which can then be used for other metabolic reactions

Fig. 9.19

Energy yield depends on oxygen

Aerobic (with oxygen)
36 ATP molecules per glucose molecule

Anaerobic (without oxygen)

2 ATP molecules per glucose molecule