Apoplast, Symplast and Vasculolar Pathways

Question 1

What does symplast mean ?

Answer 1

Water enters cells

Question 2

What does apoplast mean?

Answer 2

Water travels between cells

Question 3

What does vaculolar mean?

Answer 3

Water passes through the cell vacuoles

Question 4

How does the apoplast pathway and casparian pathway relate?

Answer 4

The apoplast pathway is stopped by the Casparian strip which is found in the endodermal layer of the root. This causes all water to enter cells to travel further through the plant.

Question 5

what is a casparian strip?

Answer 5

Water molecules move across the cortex using both of these pathways until it reaches the Endodermis of the root, forming a casparain strip

Question 6

what is the symplastic pathway?

Answer 6

water moves from cell to cell through the cytoplasm then via connections from one cytoplasm to another.

Question 7

what is the apoplastic pathway?

Answer 7

Water moves from cell to cell through the cellulose cells walls.

Question 8

what happens if the apoplastic pathway is blocked?

Answer 8

• water cannot pass through this, so water has to cross the endodermal cells using the symplast route only
• this slows down the flow of water slightly, and gives the plant some control over which mineral ions pass through