Transport in plants Flashcards
Why do plants need transport systems in relation to metabolic demands?
many internal and underground parts of the plants do not photosynthesise and therefore need oxygen and glucose to be transported to them
waste products of cell metabolism need to be removed
hormones may be in made in one part of a plants but need transported to areas where they have an effect
mineral ions absorbed by the roots and need to be transported to all cells to make the proteins equired for enzymes and the structure of the cell
What are the other reasons for plants needing transport systems?
size:
plants continute to grow throughout the lifes and can grow to large sizes
this means they need a very effective transport system to move substances up and down the tip of the roots to the topmost of the leaves
stems and trunks and roots have a relatively small sa:v compared to leavesd, this means they can’t rely on diffsuion alone to supply the cells with what they need
What are dicotyledonous plants (dicots)?
plants that make seeds that contain two cotyledons, organs that act as food stores for the developing embryo plant and form the first leaves when the seed germinates
herbacerous dicots have soft tissues and relatively short life cycle - leaves and stems that die down at the end of growing season
What is the vascular system?
the series of transport vessels runnjing through the stem
two main types are the xylem and phloem
arranged in vascular bundles
