plants Flashcards
3 reasons why plants require transport systems
- many plants are large multicellular organisms with a low surface area to vol ratio
- plants photosynthesise and exchange gasses at the leaves but get water and minerals from the roots- water needs to go up and sugars need to go down
- plants have high metabolic rates and need nutrients delivered efficiently to their cells
co2 is taken up by the leaves and used to produce…
sugars in photosythesis
what does the vascular bundle include
xylem , phloem, cambium, parenchyma
sclerenchyma fibres?
provide additional support to the vascular bundle and the plant as a whole
parenchyma
are living cells that act as packing tissue to separate xylem vessels from phloem and provide them with support
compared to phloem what does xylem look like
larger and non living
state notes about the xylem
- xylem vessels are dead and are stacked end-to-end.
- xylem vessels have no cytoplasm or organelles and no cell walls at their ends that would slow the flow of water
- xylem cells are lined with a waterproof coat made of the polysaccharide lignin
- xylem cells are continuous hollow tubes
talk abt the formation of xylem vessels
- immature xylem vessels are waterproofed when lignin is deposited on the inside of their cell walls.
- this process of lignification kills the cells and allows for max flow of water through the hollow tubes
state adaptations of the xylem
- there are holes in the xylem with no lignification- these are bordered pits
- these bordered pits allow water to move between vessels.
- these vessels are narrow enough to ensure water travels in an unbroken column
- there are no end walls or organelles to impede water flow
what does the phloem transport
assimilates
before h20 can get to the xylem, it must enter through the root. water moves through the plant tissue in the roots in two main ways:
- through the spaces in and between cells- this is the apoplast/cell wall pathway
- through the cytoplasm travelling between cells through pores called plasmodesmata- this pathway is symplastic or vacuolar
talk about root hair cells and how they allow water in
- root hair cells are adapted for the uptake of water and mineral ions, mineral ions are actively transported from the soil into the root hair cell.
- these minerals reduce the water potential of the root hair cell cytoplasm.
- water then enters the root hair cell from the surrounding soil by osmosis ( mineral ions drive osmosis)
once h20 is inside the root cortex, where must it travel to meet the xylem vessels and the medulla.
must travel through the endodermis
what are the 3 routes water can travel through the root cortex
-the apoplastic, vacuolar or symplastic pathway…
what does the casparian strip do
the casparian strip in the endodermis blocks the apoplast/cell wall pathway
what do the cells of the endodermis do
they actively transport mineral ions into the xylem.
water enters the endodermis cells and then the medulla and xylem by osmosis
what are two purposes of the casparian strip
1- creates a checkpoint for plant immune systems before transport through the rest of the plant
2- it blocks water from passing back into the cortex from the xylem (don’t want water going in the wrong direction)- keeps water flowing forwards
what happens once water reaches the leaf
water exits the xylem vessels located in the spongy mesophyll, water travels through the plant tissues of the spongy mesophyll (s,a,v).
- water evaporates off the high sa of the spongy mesophyll.
- water vapour diffuses out the stomata down a water vapour gradient.
what are stomata
pores on the underside of a leaf that allow the leaf to exchange gasses with the external environment.- allow co2 to enter, allows 02 to exit- allows h2o vapour out
whats transpiration
the loss of water from the aerial (parts with air connected to it) parts of the plant mainly through the stomata in the leaves
whats the transpiration stream
there is a constant stream of water travelling from the roots, through the stem and out of the leaves- its an inevitable consequence of gas exchange and doesn’t require ATP.
what are the benefits of a constant supply of water to the leaves.
- maintenance of cell turgidity- gives plant support and strength
- water for metabolic purposes- DNA replication requires H20, so does photosynthesis and respiration
- transport of mineral ions to plant cells- mineral ions wouldn’t be able to dissolve in any solution up the xylem
- evaporating water keeps plant leaves cool in the sun- water takes away latent heat of vaporisation causing the plant to cool.
what type of pressure is the column of water pulled up the xylem under?
negative pressure
whats negative pressure
where something is being pulled to an area of less pressure- draws up water- gradient of there being a lot of it to less of it
what happens if xylem vessels are broken
- then air gets sucked in
- the plant loses its ability to draw water up
why does the transpiration stream operate without energy from the plant
because adhesion and cohesion keeps the water moving upwards
what is the evaporation at the leaf facilitated by
by high surface area and exposure
water molecules pull other water molecules with them due to…
cohesion
whats cohesion
the attraction between water molecules due to hydrogen bonds
what do water molecules adhere to in the xylem
hydrophilic polysaccharides
whats adhesion
the attraction of water molecules to hydrophilic substances
whats capillary action, talk abt this force and where its useful
the forces of adhesion push water along narrow vessels in a process called capillary action, packing thin xylem vessels at high density maximises this effect, overall this force is quite weak- its more useful in short plants
talk about root pressure- include stuff about Caspian strip
the roots of the plant generate positive pressure at the base of plant stems.
- mineral ions are actively transported from the endodermis into the xylem and water follows by osmosis
- the Caspian strip prevents water from travelling back into the roots
- water is constantly being pushed into the xylem via osmosis
- root pressure generates forces that can push water a few meters up the xylem
what are the factors affecting transpiration rate
LIGHT- the lighter, the faster the transpiration rate- stomata opens when it gets light so co2 can diffuse into the leaf for photosynthesis. when its dark=closed stomata=little transpiration
TEMPERATURE- higher temp= faster transpiration- warmer water molecules=more energy so evaporate faster- increases water pot grad between inside and outside of leaf making water diffuse out faster
HUMIDITY- lower humidity= faster transpiration-increases water pot grad between inside and outside of leaf making water diffuse out faster
AIR FLOW- more wind= faster transpiration rate. lots of air movement blows away water molecules around the stomata, increases water pot grad so faster transpiration rate