transport in plants Flashcards
What is vascular tissue made up of
- xylem
- phloem
What is xylem responsible for
- transport of water and mineral ions
- providing support
What is the phloem responsible for
- translocation of organic solutes eg sucrose and amino acids
Describe the arrangement of the vascular bundle in the root and why it is arranged this way
- xylem is arranged centrally into a star shape with phloem outside it
- helps to anchor the plant into the soil and resist pulling forces
Describe the arrangement of the vascular bundle in the stem and why it is arranged this way
- arranged towards the periphery in a ring
- provides support to resist bending
Describe the arrangement of the vascular bundle in the leaf and why it is arranged this way
- arranged in the midrib
- resistance to tearing and flexibility
angiosperms
- flowering plants
What is the structure of xylem and where are they present
- water is conducted through vessels and tracheids whcih are dead cells due to lignin deposition in the walls
- fibres provide support and xylem parenchyma acts as packing tissue
- tracheids are present in flowering plants, ferns and conifers
- vessles are only present in flowering plants
Describe water uptake by the roots
- water enters the root hair cells via osmosis because soil solution has a higher water potential than the vacoule of the hair cell whcih contains ions and sugars
How are root hair cells adapted for uptake of water
having a large surface area
What are the three pathways of water across the cortex of the root from epidermis towards xylem in the centre
- apoplast pathway
- symplast patheway
- vacuolar pathway
What is the apoplast pathway
- the most signficant route
- involves water moving between spaces in the cellulose cell wall
What is the symplast pathway
- water moves through cytoplasm and plasmodesmate (strands of cytoplasm through cell wall pits)
Describe the vacoular pathway
is a minor route involves water passing from vacoule to vacoule
Describe the movement of water through the three pathways
- in the root pericycle is surrounded by a single layer of cells called the endodermis which forms a ring surrounding the vascular tissue in the centre of the root
- cell walls of the endodermis are impregnated with suberin forming an impermeable band called the casparian strip that drives water from apoplast pathway into the cytoplasm
- water potential of endodermal cell is raised by water being forced into them by the casparian strip and the acctive transport of sodium ions into the xylem
- this lowers the water potential of fluid in the xylem forcing water into the xylem by osmosis - root pressure
What does the endodermis help do
- endodermis helps regulate movement of water, ions and hormones into and out of xylem
How is water prevented from entering the xylem via the apoplast pathway
- prescence of lignin in cell walls of the xylem vessels water proofs them
- prevent water from entering the xylem via the apoplast pathway
describe the uptake of minerals
- includes nitrates and phospjates
- activley transported into the root hair cells against there concentration gradient
- also pass along apoplast pathway in solution
- once they reach casparian strip they enter the cytoplasm via active transport and then pass via diffussion or active transport into the xylem
transpiration
the evaporation of water vapour from the leaves or other above ground parts of the plant out through stomata into the atmosphere