Lecture 27 - Plant Nutrition (part 2) Flashcards
Sugars travel from…
source to sinks
Bulk flow within xylem is…
unidirectional -> Roots to shoots
Translocation
is the transport of photosynthates
- is carried out by the phloem in the opposite direction -> shoots downward to stems and roots
Phloem sap
is the aqueous solution that flows through the phloem cells (sieve tubes)
What does phloem sap contain?
- Contains mostly dissolved sugars (sucrose in most species)
* Can also contain amino acids, hormones, and minerals
Phloem sap moves from…
sources to sinks
Sinks
net consumers of sugars or will store sugar deposits
- roots, buds, stems, fruits, growing leaves and tissues
Sources
plant organ that is a net producer of sugar
- mature leaves
Storage organs can be both…
sources and sinks depending on the season
Storage organs in the Summer:
sugar stockpiling in the storage bulbs/tubers (sink)
Storage organs in the Spring:
supplies sugar for initial growth (source)
Sinks receive sugars from their nearest source…
upper leaves export to buds, lower leaves export to roots
Sugars must be “loaded” into sieve-tube elements before being _________
exported to sinks
Sugars must be “loaded” which can be done by what?
- Can be done symplastically through plasmodesmata from mesophyll cells to sieve-tube elements
- Other species can load sugar both symplastically and apoplastically
- Requires active transport via proton pumping and H+/sucrose cotransporters
Sugars are “unloaded” at sinks via _________
facilitated diffusion
Concentration of free sugar in the sink is always _____ than the sieve-tube elements
lower
Bulk flow of phloem sap is via…
+ pressure (pressure flow)
Sugars are loaded into phloem sap by _______, which ______ the water potential of the phloem sap in that region.
This causes water to move into the _______ from nearby cells or surrounding xylem tissue
source cells
lowers
phloem sap
The increase in water pressure forces phloem sap to…
move through the sieve tubes
At sink cells, phloem is unloaded…
INCREASING water potential & causes water to LEAVE the phloem sap and ENTER nearby cells and xylem
Xylem then recycles water from…
sink to source
Sometimes a plant can have too many…
sinks
• Can abort buds, fruits, and seeds through selfthinning
• We use this concept to make larger apples to sell in markets
Plants acquire nutrients from the…
soil
Plants absorb nearly all of their water and minerals from what?
top layers of soil
What does top layers of soil contain?
a slew of microorganisms that can associate with plants
Soil texture is dependent on particle size as a result of…
rock weathering
Coarse sand:
0.02-2mm in diameter
Silt:
0.002-0.019mm
Clay particles:
<0.002mm
Soil composition forms layers called
horizons
Topsoils
Horizon A, consists of humus (organic matter) and soil particles
Plants get their nutrients from what?
the soil solution (between the particles)
Sandy soils are not good at _________, but have ________
water retention
good oxygen exchange
Clayey soils retain too much ______, lack _______
water
oxygen
Loams
are the most fertile topsoil, consisting of pores of 50% water, 50% air
Topsoil is composed of both:
- Inorganic compounds
* Organic compounds
Inorganic compounds
- Soil particles are generally negatively charged -> bind with positive cations K+, Mg2+, Ca2+
- Don’t bind with nitrates, phosphates, sulphates (anions) -> but plants need these!
Organic compounds
Mostly humus, organic material composed by decaying leaves, feces, dead organisms, bacteria, and fungi