LEARNING OBJECTIVES

1.State the functions of xylem and phloem

2 Identify the position of xylem as seen in sections of roots, stems and leaves, limited to
non-woody dicotyledonous plants
3 Identify root hair cells, as seen under the light microscope, and state their functions
4 Explain that the large surface area of root hairs increases the rate of absorption of water and ions
5 State the pathway taken by water through root, stem and leaf as root hair cells, root cortex cells,
xylem and mesophyll cells
6 Investigate, using a suitable stain, the pathway of water through the above-ground parts of a
plant
7 State that water is transported from the roots to leaves through the xylem vessels
8 Define transpiration as loss of water vapour from plant leaves by evaporation of water at the
surfaces of the mesophyll cells followed by diffusion of water vapour through the stomata
 9 Explain the mechanism by which water moves upwards in the xylem in terms of a transpiration pull,
helping to create a water potential gradient that draws up a column of water molecules, held together by
cohesion
10 Investigate and describe the effects of variation of temperature and humidity on transpiration rate

11 Explain the effects of variation of temperature and humidity on transpiration rate

12 Define translocation in terms of the movement of sucrose and amino acids in phloem: – from regions of
production (source) – to regions of storage OR to regions where they are used in respiration or growth
(sink)
 Guess the objective

XYLEM VASCULAR BUNDLE ROOT HAIR

CELLS TRANSPIRATION TRANSLOCATION
OSMOSIS WATER POTENTIAL SUCROSE
AMINO ACIDS WATER
Vascular Tissue

Functions of Xylem & Phloem

● Plants contain two types of transport vessel:

○ Xylem vessels – transport water and minerals (pronounced: zi-lem) from the roots to the stem and leaves
○ Phloem vessels – transport food materials (mainly sucrose and amino acids) made by the plant from
photosynthesising leaves to non-photosynthesising regions in the roots and stem (pronounced: flow-em)
● These vessels are arranged throughout the root, stem and leaves in groups called vascular bundles
Water Uptake

Root Hair Cells

● Root hairs are single-celled extensions of epidermis cells in the root

● They grow between soil particles and absorb water and minerals from the soil
● Water enters the root hair cells by osmosis
● This happens because soil water has a higher water potential than the cytoplasm of the root hair cell

● The root hair increases the surface area of the cells significantly
● This large surface area is important as it increases the rate of the absorption of water by osmosis and mineral ions
by active transport
Pathway of Water through Root to Leaf

● Osmosis causes water to pass into the root hair cells, through the root cortex and into the xylem vessels:
Once the water gets into the xylem, it is carried up to the leaves where it enters mesophyll cells

● So the pathway is:

root hair cell → root cortex cells → xylem → leaf mesophyll cells

● The pathway can be investigated by placing a plant (like celery) into a beaker of water that has had a stain added to it
(food colouring will work well)
● After a few hours, you can see the leaves of the celery turning the same colour as the dyed water, proving that water is
being taken up by the celery
● If a cross-section of the celery is cut, only certain areas of the stalk is stained the colour of the water, showing that the
water is being carried in specific vessels through the stem – these are the xylem vessels
Investigating water movement in plants using a stain
Unjumble the words to guess the objective of the day
as loss of water vapour from plant leaves by evaporation of water at the surfaces of the mesophyll
cells through the stomata from plant leaves by evaporation
Define transpiration followed by diffusion of water vapour

Explain the mechanism by which water moves upwards in the xylem in terms of a transpiration pull,
helping to create a water potential gradient that draws up a column of water molecules, held together by
cohesion

10 Investigate and describe the effects of variation of temperature and humidity on transpiration rate
Transpiration https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9FTafxnbwHQ

● Water travels up xylem from the roots into the leaves of the plant to replace the water that has been lost due to
transpiration
● Transpiration is defined as the loss of water vapour from plant leaves by evaporation of water at the surfaces of the
mesophyll cells followed by diffusion of water vapour through the stomata
● Xylem is adapted in many ways:
○ A substance called lignin is deposited in the cell walls which causes the xylem cells to die
○ These cells then become hollow (as they lose all their organelles and cytoplasm) and join end-to-end to form a
continuous tube for water and mineral ions to travel through from the roots
○ Lignin strengthens the plant to help it withstand the pressure of the water movement
● Movement in xylem only takes place in one direction – from roots to leaves (unlike phloem where movement takes
place in different directions)
●
Water uptake, transport and transpiration
Transpiration in plants
 ● Transpiration has several functions in plants:
○ transporting mineral ions
○ providing water to keep cells turgid in order to support the structure of the plant
○ providing water to leaf cells for photosynthesis
○ keeping the leaves cool (the conversion of water (liquid) into water vapour (gas) as it leaves the cells and enters
the airspace requires heat energy. The using up of heat to convert water into water vapour helps to cool the plant
down)

HOW DOES TRANSPIRATION OCCUR?

● Evaporation takes place from the surfaces of spongy mesophyll cells

● The many interconnecting air spaces between these cells and the stomata creates a large surface area
● This means evaporation can happen rapidly when stomata are open
HOW IS TRANSPIRATION STREAM CREATED
Water molecules are attracted to each other by cohesion – creating a
continuous column of water up the plant
Water moves through the xylem vessels in a continuous transpiration
stream from roots to leaves via the stem
Transpiration produces a tension or ‘pull’ on the water in the xylem
vessels by the leaves
As water molecules are held together by cohesive forces (each
individual molecule ‘pulls’ on the one below it), so water is pulled up
through the plant
If the rate of transpiration from the leaves increases, water molecules
are pulled up the xylem vessels quicker
WILTING
● If more water evaporates from the leaves of a plant than is available in the soil to move into the root by osmosis, then
wilting will occur
● This is when all the cells of the plant are not full of water, so the strength of the cell walls cannot support the plant and
it starts to collapse
Transpiration

● Water travels up xylem from the roots into the leaves of the plant to replace the water that has
been lost due to transpiration
● Transpiration is defined as the loss of water vapour from plant leaves by evaporation of
water at the surfaces of the mesophyll cells followed by diffusion of water vapour through
the stomata
● Xylem is adapted in many ways:
○ A substance called lignin is deposited in the cell walls which causes the xylem cells to die
○ These cells then become hollow (as they lose all their organelles and cytoplasm) and join
end-to-end to form a continuous tube for water and mineral ions to travel through from the
roots
○ Lignin strengthens the plant to help it withstand the pressure of the water movement
● Movement in xylem only takes place in one direction – from roots to leaves (unlike phloem
where movement takes place in different directions)
Water uptake, transport and transpiration
Transpiration in plants
● Transpiration has several functions in plants:
○ transporting mineral ions
○ providing water to keep cells turgid in order to support the structure of the plant
○ providing water to leaf cells for photosynthesis
○ keeping the leaves cool (the conversion of water (liquid) into water vapour (gas) as it leaves the cells and enters
the airspace requires heat energy. The using up of heat to convert water into water vapour helps to cool the plant
down)

How does Transpiration Occur?

● Evaporation takes place from the surfaces of spongy mesophyll cells

● The many interconnecting air spaces between these cells and the stomata creates a large surface area
● This means evaporation can happen rapidly when stomata are open
 How is the Transpiration Stream Created?

● Water molecules are attracted to each other by cohesion – creating a

continuous column of water up the plant
● Water moves through the xylem vessels in a continuous transpiration stream
from roots to leaves via the stem
● Transpiration produces a tension or ‘pull’ on the water in the xylem vessels by
the leaves
● As water molecules are held together by cohesive forces (each individual
molecule ‘pulls’ on the one below it), so water is pulled up through the plant
● If the rate of transpiration from the leaves increases, water molecules are
pulled up the xylem vessels quicker
 Wilting

● If more water evaporates from the leaves of a plant than is available in the soil to move into the root by osmosis, then
wilting will occur
● This is when all the cells of the plant are not full of water, so the strength of the cell walls cannot support the plant and
it starts to collapse
● A wilted plant cannot support itself and starts to collapse
Investigating Factors that Affect Transpiration
Investigating the role of environmental factors in determining the rate of transpiration from a leafy shoot

● Cut a shoot underwater to prevent air entering the xylem and place in tube
● Set up the apparatus as shown in the diagram and make sure it is airtight, using vaseline to seal any gaps
● Dry the leaves of the shoot (wet leaves will affect the results)
● Remove the capillary tube from the beaker of water to allow a single air bubble to form and place the tube back into the
water
● Set up the environmental factor you are investigating
● Allow the plant to adapt to the new environment for 5 minutes
● Record the starting location of the air bubble
● Leave for a set period of time
● Record the end location of air bubble
● Change the light intensity or wind speed or level of humidity or temperature (only one – whichever factor is being
investigated)
● Reset the bubble by opening the tap below the reservoir
● Repeat the experiment
● The further the bubble travels in the same time period, the faster transpiration is occurring and vice versa
Investigating transpiration rates using a potometer
● Environmental factors can be investigated in the following ways:
○ Temperature : Temperature of room (cold room and warm room)
○ Humidity : Spray water in plastic bag and wrap around plant
● Environmental factors can be investigated in the following ways:
○ Temperature : Temperature of room (cold room and warm room)
○ Humidity : Spray water in plastic bag and wrap around plant
Translocation
Transport of Food

● The soluble products of photosynthesis are sugars (mainly sucrose) and amino acids
● These are transported around the plant in the phloem tubes which are made of living cells (as opposed to xylem
vessels which are made of dead cells)
● The cells are joined end to end and contain holes in the end cell walls (called sieve plates) which allow easy flow of
substances from one cell to the next
● The transport of sucrose and amino acids in phloem, from regions of production to regions of storage or use, is called
translocation
● Transport in the phloem goes in many different directions depending on the stage of development of the plant or the
time of year; however dissolved food is always transported from source (where it’s made) to sink (where it’s stored or
used):
○ During winter, when many plants have no leaves, the phloem tubes may transport dissolved sucrose and amino
acids from the storage organs to other parts of the plant so that respiration can continue
○ During a growth period (eg during the spring), the storage organs (eg roots) would be the source and the many
growing areas of the plant would be the sinks
○ After the plant has grown (usually during the summer), the leaves are photosynthesizing and producing large
quantities of sugars; so they become the source and the roots become the sinks – storing sucrose as starch until
it is needed again
Translocation through the phloem
Comparison between xylem and phloem tissue:
ANSWERS
1 PALISADE

2. TURGID

3. DIFFUSION

4.SUCROSE

5.LIGNIN

6.TRANSPIRATION

7.COOL

8.OSMOSIS

9 LARGE SURFACE AREA

10 DISTANCE BUBBLE TRAVELLED AND TIME TAKEN