3.3 - C - Transport In Plants Flashcards
What are dicotyledonous plants?
Plants with 2 seed leaves and a branching pattern of veins in the leaf
What is a meristem?
A layer of dividing cells
Define phloem
Transports dissolved assimilates, such as sugars, up and down a plant
Define vascular tissue
Consists of cells specialised for transporting fluids by mass flow (xylem and phloem)
Define xylem
Transports water and mineral ions upwards in a plant
Explain the cross-section (incl. vascular bundles) of a root of a plant
Xylem in x/+ shape
Phloem in 4 quadrants
Epidermis surrounds them (vascular tissue)
Around that is the thick cortex with an epidermis at the edge
Inside endodermis is the pericycle
Define pericycle
A ring of meristem cells - found inside the endodermis in roots
Explain the cross-section (incl. vascular bundles) of a stem of a plant
Vascular bundles found near outer cells of the stem
The xylem is near the inside of the bundle (closer to centre of stem), phloem on outside
In between the xylem and phloem is cambrium
What is cambium?
A layer of meristematic cells capable of differentiating into new xylem and phloem vessels
Explain the formation of vascular bundles in leaves
They form the veins of the leaf
The xylem is above the phloem
Define what companion cells are
The cells that help load sucrose into sieve tubes
Define what sieve tube elements are
They make up the tubes in phloem tissue that carry sap up and down the plant. They are separated by sieve plates
List 5 structural aspects of xylem vessels and explain their functions
Continuous, hollow tubes with no end walls or contents - less resistance to flow of water and more space
Walls impregnated with lignin - strengthens wall, waterproofs wall, improves adhesion of water molecules - increases capillarity
Lignification in spiral pattern - flexibility and stretching of stem
Narrow lumen - more effective capillary action
Bordered pits (pores) in walls - can move around and avoid blockages
List 5 structural aspects of sieve tube elements and explain their functions
Little cytoplasm, lots of absent organelles - less resistance and more space for transport
Siege plates - connects S.T.E to allow sucrose (as sap) through
Joined end to end to for tube - allow continuous transport
Bi-directional flow - allows sucrose to go both up and down the plant
Living - allows active processes
List 3 structural aspects of companion cells and explain their functions
Many mitochondria - a lot of respiration is needed to provide lots of ATP for active processes
Nucleus - controls the functions of both the companion cell and S.T.E
Plasmodesmata - allows continuation of cytoplasm between companion cell and sieve tube element
What is plasmodesmata?
Gaps in the cell wall containing cytoplasm that connects 2 cells
List the 3 pathways
The apoplast pathway
The symplast pathway
The vacuolar pathway
Explain the apoplast pathway
Water passes through the spaces in the cell walls and between cells. Doesn’t pass through any plasma membranes into cells. It moves by mass flow, not osmosis. This means dissolved mineral ions and salts can be carried with water
Explain the symplast pathway
Water enters the cell cytoplasm through the plasma membrane. It passes through the plasmodesmata from one cell to the next
Explain the vacuolar pathway
This is similar to the symplast pathway, but the water is not confined to the cytoplasm of the cells. It is able to enter and pass through vacuoles as well
Define water potential
A measure of the tendency of water molecules to move from one place to another
Define turgid
When a cell is full/saturated with water
Define transpiration
The loss of water by evaporation out of plant’s leaves via the stomata
What is a potometer?
A device that can measure the rate of water uptake as a leafy stem transpires
List 8 factors of transpiration
Number of leaves Number and size of stomata Presence of a waxy cuticle Light Temperature Humidity Wind Availability of water
Explain how and why the number of leaves affects water loss in transpiration
More leaves = more water loss
It’s a larger SA for water to evaporate out of
Explain how and why the number and size of stomata affects water loss in transpiration
More/bigger stomata = more water loss
A larger SA allows more water to evaporate out of them
Explain how and why the presence of a waxy cuticle affects water loss in transpiration
If it’s present - less water loss
It reduces water evaporating from stomata as its hydrophobic