4.4 Flashcards
transport in plants
describe the xylem
carries water and dissolved minerals from the roots to the photosynthetic parts of a plant
always moves upwards
made up of dead cells
describe the phloem
transports dissolved solutes around the plant
can move up and down
made of living cells
what is the cambium
layer of unspecialized plant cells that divide to form both the xylem and phloem
what is the protoxylem
the first xylem formed that can stretch and grow because the walls are not fully lignified
summarise the formation of the xylem
it begins as living cells as the protoxylem
the cellulose microfibrils in the walls lay vertically and provide strength
as the stem ages cells stop growing which increases the amount of lignified tissue (metaxylem) in the walls making the cells impermeable to water and other substances
the contents of the cell dies and end walls between cells breaks down developing transverse plates to eventually form hollow tubes
what is metaxylem
consists of mature xylem vessels made of lignified tissue
how does water move in and out of the xylem
water and minerals are taken in by the roots and travel up the xylem and transport the water and minerals to cells at undignified areas or specialized pits (holes) in the xylem walls
what are pits
specialized holes in the xylem wall to allow water and minerals to move out into surrounding cells
what are parenchyma cells
relatively unspecialised plant cells that act as packing in stem and roots to give support through turgor pressure
what are sclerenchyma cells
plant cells that have thick lignified cell walls and an empty lumen with no living contents
what are collenchyma cells
plant cells with areas of cellulose thickening that give mechanical strength and support to the tissues
how can you experiment the movement of water in the xylem
- cut the end of a shoot and place it in a solution of eosin dye that can then be seen to be carried in the xylem
- remove and ring of bark from a tree and kill cells then place dye in water and it will be taken up by the xylem
- autoradiography
summarize autoradiography
radioactive label is placed on substance taken up by the xylem (water containing deuterium can be used)
the radioactive substance is taken up and can be traced by placing plant against photographic film to produce a autoradiograph or traced using a scintillation counter
how is the phloem formed
phloem sieve tubes join up and their walls become perforated forming sieve plates
organelles in the sieve tube such as nucleus and tonoplasts break down and the tube is filled with phloem sap
they are then supported by companion cells by many plasmodesmata which move sucrose into and out of the phloem
how are companion cells well adapted
cell membrane contains many infoldings to increase surface area for transportation of sucrose
contain many mitochondria to supply ATP for active transport of sucrose
what are root hairs and why are they needed
microscopic hairs that are extensions of the membrane of the outer cells of the root to increase surface area for the absorption of water and minerals down the concentration gradient by osmosis and allows close contact with soil particles
how does water travel from the soil to they xylem generally
it is taken up by the root hair down the concentration gradient by osmosis and then passes through neighboring cells by osmosis to the xylem
what is the symplast pathway
water moves by diffusion down the concentration gradient from the root hair cells to the xylem through interconnected cytoplasm in the plasmodesmata, gaps in the cellulose cell wall that allow strands of cytoplasm to pass through them
what is the apoplast pathway
water is pulled by the hydrogen bonds between water molecules across adjacent cell walls from the root hair cell to the xylem through the open network structure of the cell wall
what is the casparian strip
the waterproof layer of waxy tissue in the walls of the endodermis which minerals must move through via active transport against the concentration gradient to enter the cytoplasm
why is the casparian strip important
it allows cells to control the amount of water and minerals moving from the soil into the xylem