chapter 9 - transport in plants Flashcards
what are dicotyledonous plants
flowering plants that have a pair of leaves, or cotyledons, in the embryo of the seed
what are meristem tissues
where are they found and what are they called in plants?
a layer of dividing stem cells
found between the xylem and the phloem
called the cambium/ pericycle
define collenchyma
the supporting tissue composed of elongated cells within non-lignified primary walls. filled with water which helps plant keep its shape
where is collenchyma present?
between the cortex of stem and the endoderm of its vascular bundles
define sclerenchyma
strengthening tissue in a plant, formed from cells with thickened, lignified walls
where is sclerenchyma found in plants?
in non-growing regions, usually in the bark or mature stems
define parenchyma
where is it found predominantly
cells that perform storage or secretory functions and form wood rays, typically soft and succulent,
found chiefly in the softer parts of leaves, pulp of fruits, bark and pith of stems, etc.
what is the central midrib
thick linear vein that runs along the length of the plant thallus or lamina
what is a thallus
what are plants called that have a thallus
thallus = plant body which is not properly differentiated into root, stem or leaf
- thallophytes
what is the lamina
the flat region of the leaf containing the chloroplasts, veins and stomata
what is the pith,
what is it also known as
a tissue in the stem. composed of soft spongy parenchyma cells which store & transport nutrients throughout the plant
also known as the medulla
what are ground tissues
tissues that are not considered vascular or dermal (either parenchyma, sclerenchyma or collenchyma
what is the apical stem
the main branch, in dicots, other branches stem off
where is the cortex of a plant
what is it composed of?
the outer layer of a stem or root in a vascular plant, lying below the epidermis, but outside vascular bundles.
composed of mostly large, thin-walled parenchyma cells
what is the cuticle of a plant?
what is the function of the cuticle
waterproofing layer of cutin
function: acts as a permeability barrier to prevent the evaporation of water from the outer epidermal surface
what is the epidermis
single layer of cells, transparent, secretes cutin (skin/surfaces)
what are the three passage ways of water from the root cells to the xylem
apoplast - through spaces in the cell walls and gaps between cells - does not pass through plasma membrane
once the water meets the casparian strip - it inters the cytoplasm of the endodermis and takes the symplast route
symplast - enters through plasma membrane then passes through plasmodesmata
vacuolar - enters through plasma membrane, passes through plasmodesmata AND VACUOLES
what is the difference between diffusion and mass flow as seen in the vessels
mass flow - movement of dissolved nutrients into a plant as the plant absorbs water for transpiration
diffusion - movement of nutrients in the root surface in response to a concentration gradient
why is mass flow the best way to transport around the plant?
because mass flow is faster and can move large amounts of fluid long distances
why do plants not need to transport gases such as oxygen in their transport system?
plants are not very active and their respiration rate is low - therefore demand for oxygen is low - can be met by diffusion
what is vascular tissue
tissues which carry/ transport substances
xylem and phloem
what is dermal tissue
surface/ skin tissue - outer protective layer layer
describe the structure of the xylem vessel
lignified, non-living tissue, supports plant and transports water and mineral ions from root to leaves (transpiration)
long hollow structures, cells fuse end to end
thick walled xylem parenchyma - stores food and tannin deposits
how is lignin arranged in the xylem vessels
either in spirals running around the lumen
rings between xylem parenchyma
solid tubes - with lots of small non-lignified bordered pits
describe the structure of the phloem
living tissue, transports the products of photosynthesis around the plant.
transporting vessels - sieve tube elements
non-lignified
areas between cells, walls become perforated to form sieve plates - let phloem contents pass through
mature phloem cells have no nucleus or tonoplast due to pores in walls
need companion cells to support
contains supporting tissues, including fibres and sclereids (cells with extremely thick walls)
why do sieve tube elements need companion cells
as sieve tube elements have no nucleus and less organelles
companion cells are linked to sieve tube elements by plasmodesmata.
companion cells are very active cells that function as a life support system for the sieve tubes which lost their normal cell functions