Water flow through plants Flashcards
What are the two different types of vessel flowering plants have?
- Xylem
- Phloem
What are plant vessels used for?
To transport stuff around.
What do both types of plant vessels do?
They both go to every part of the plant, but they are totally separate.
What are phloem tubes made of?
Columns of living cells with small holes in the ends to allow stuff to flow through.
What do phloem tubes transport?
Food substances (mainly dissolved sugars) made in the leaves.
Where do phloem tubes transport food to?
To growing regions (e.g. New shoots) and storage organs (e.g. Root tubers) of the plant. The transport goes in both directions.
What are xylem tubes made of?
Dead cells joined end to end with no walls between them and a hole down the middle.
What do xylem tubes carry?
- Water.
- Minerals.
Where do xylem tubes carry water and minerals?
From the roots to the stem and leaves in the transpiration stream.
What is transpiration?
The loss of water from the plant.
What is transpiration caused by?
The evaporation and diffusion of water from inside the leaves.
What does transpiration cause?
A slight shortage of water in the leaf.
What does a slight shortage of water in the leaf cause?
More water to be drawn up from the rest of the plant through the xylem vessels to replace it.
What does more water being drawn through the xylem vessels because of a slight shortage of water mean?
That more water is drawn up by the roots, and so there is a constant transpiration stream of water through the plant.
What is transpiration a side effect of?
The way leaves are adapted for photosynthesis.
