Transport in

Plants
Biology 5090
 Transport system of
flowering plants
• The vessels that transport materials in plants is
known as the vascular tissue

• There are two main transport tissues:

• Xylem
• Phloem
 Xylem
• Functions
• Conduct water and mineral salts from roots to
stems and leaves
• Provide mechanical support

• Structure
• Xylem tissue consists mainly of xylem vessels
• A xylem vessel is a long hollow tube made of
many dead cells
• Inner walls are strengthened by lignin – rings or
spirals
 Lignin Patterns

Rings Reticulat Pitte

Spira Scalarifor
(annular e d
l m
)
 Water
Transpo
rt in
plants
The diagram
shows an
overview of how
water moves
through plants
 Adaptations of the Xylem
Feature Adaptation
Empty lumen without Reduces resistance to water
protoplasm or cross walls flow, allowing for rapid
transport of water
Walls thickened with lignin Lignin is hard and rigid. It
prevents collapse of the
vessel
 Phloem

• Functions:
• Translocates sucrose
and amino acids from the
leaves to other parts of
the plant.

• Structure
• Consists of two
elements: sieve tube and
companion cells
 Phloem
a) Sieve tube
• Sieve tube cells or sieve
tube elements
• Elongated, thin walled
LIVING cells
• Cells separated by sieve
plates
• Cross walls that are
perforated with pores =
sieve
• Sucrose is loaded into
the sieve tube by active
transport.
 Sieve tube cells
• Mature sieve-tubes has thin lining of cytoplasm.

• Nucleus, central vacuole as well as most organelles

are disintegrated.

• Degenerated protoplasm
• Sieve tube cells need help to sustain life
• Companion cells ‘accompany’ them and ‘feed’ them
 Companion cells
• Each sieve tube cell has a companion cell beside it
• This carries out the metabolic processes to keep both
cells alive
• Structure:
• narrow, thin-walled, many mitochondria. Has cytoplasm
and a nucleus

• Function:
• Provides nutrients and helps sieve tube cells transport
food
 Phloem
Feature Adaptation

Companion cells have Provides energy needed for

many mitochondria companion cell to load sugars
from mesophyll cells into sieve
tubes by active transport
Sieve plates have holes Allows rapid flow of manufactured
food substances through sieve
tubes
 Differences between
Xylem and Phloem
Xylem Phloem
Consists of dead cells Consists of living cells
-Transports water and mineral Transports sugar (sucrose)
salts and amino acids
-Provide mechanical support to
the plant
Transport is unidirectional Transport – directional,
upwards and downwards
Substances are transported by Substances are transported
passive transport - osmosis, by active transport, diffusion
root pressure, capillary action,
transpiration pull
 Vascular tissues
(Roots)
• The xylem and phloem alternate with each other
• Pericycle surrounds the vascular tissues
• Endodermis surrounds the pericycle • Tubular
outgrowth of
• Cortex acts as storage tissue an epidermal
cell
• Increases
surface area
Endoderm to volume ratio
is • Increases
efficiency of
Pericycl
water/mineral
e
salt absorption
Corte
x
 Vascular tissues
(Roots)
• Piliferous layer: this is a epidermal layer that bears root hairs

• Cuticle is absent in the piliferous layer

1 xylem and phloem alternate with 4 root hair
each other.

2 cortex
endodermis 3 piliferous layer
 Regions of a root

Zone of maturation
-Bears numerous root hairs
-Where most of the water and
mineral salts are absorbed

Zone of elongation
-Cells elongate
-Causes increase in
root length

Root cap Growing zone

-Covers root tip - Small young cells that
-Protects young cells from actively divide
injury
 Vascular tissues (Stems)
• The xylem and phloem are grouped together
to form a vascular bundle

• The phloem lies outside the xylem

• The two are separated by the CAMBIUM

- The cambium divides and differentiates to

form new xylem and phloem tissues
 Vascular Bundle-Stem

1 vascular bundles

2 pith

5 epidermis

3 xylem
vascular
cambium
bundle
phloem

4 cortex
 Vascular bundles (Stems)
• A stem will contain many vascular bundles
arranged in a ring
• This surrounds a central region called the
pith
• The region outside the pith and between
the vascular bundles is called the cortex
• Both cortex and pith store up food
substances e.g. starch
• The stem is covered by a layer of cells
called the epidermis
• The epidermis is protected by the cuticle
• This is a waxy, waterproof layer
• Reduces loss of water by evaporation
 Vascular bundles (Stems)
Phloe Vascul
Cambiu
m ar
mXyle Bundle
m

Pith

Corte
x

Epiderm
is
Cuticl
e
Absorption of water
1. Into the roots
• By osmosis

2. Up the stem
• Root pressure
• Capillary action
• Transpiration pull
3. Out of the leaves
• Transpiration
 Entry of water into a plant
cytoplasm soil particles

vacuole
film of liquid
2 (dilute 2 The thin film of liquid
surrounding each soil
1 solution of particle is a dilute
mineral salts) solution of mineral salts.

cell surface
nucleus membrane of
root hair cell

cell wall
1 Each root hair is a fine tubular outgrowth of
an epidermal cell. It grows between the soil
particles, coming into close contact with the
water surrounding them.
 Entry of water into a plant
3 The sap in the root hair
cell is a relatively
concentrated solution of
sugars and various salts.
Thus, the sap has a 5 water entering
lower water potential 4 the root hair
than the soil solution. C B
These two solutions are
A 3
separated by the
partially permeable cell root hair
surface membrane of the xylem piliferous layer
root hair cell. Water
enters the root hair by phloem
cortex
osmosis.

4 The entry of water dilutes the sap. The sap of the root 5 Similarly, water passes from cell B into the
hair cell now has a higher water potential than that of next cell (cell C) of the cortex. This process
the next cell (cell B). Hence, water passes by osmosis continues until the water enters the xylem
from the root hair cell into the inner cell. vessels and moves up the plant.
The route taken
by water
 1. Into the roots

• Root hairs are fine tubular outgrowths

• Surrounded by soil particles

• Dilute solution of mineral salts surrounds soil

particles
 Absorption in roots
Root hair cell sap is a concentrated solution of sugars and salts.

The more dilute soil solution has a higher water potential than the cell sap

Water enters the cell sap from the soil solution by osmosis, down the water
potential gradient

Water entry dilutes the sap and raises the water potential

Root hair cell has higher water potential than neighbouring

cell

Water moves into neighbouring cell by osmosis, down the

w.p.g

Process repeats and water moves from cell to cell, through the root cortex
until it enters the xylem
 Ions and mineral salts
1. Diffusion –when the concentration of minerals salts
in the soil solution is higher than that in the root
hair cell.

2. Active transport –when the concentration of ions

in the soil solution is lower than that in the root hair
cell sap.

3. The energy comes from cellular respiration in the

root hair cells
 Adaptations of the root
hair cell
Feature Adaptation
1 Long and Increases SA:V, thus increasing rate of
narrow absorption of water and mineral salts
2 Has cell surface Partially permeable
membrane Maintains high conc. of sugars, amino acids
and salts in cell sap. Results in lower water
potential than soil solution so water can enter
by osmosis
3 Is living Able to provide energy for active transport of
ions into cell
4 Has protein Able to transport specific mineral ions into the
transporters cell.
 2. Up the stem
a. Root pressure
• Root cells actively pump inorganic ions into the xylem
and the root endodermis holds the ions there.
• As ions accumulate in the xylem, water enters by
osmosis, pushing the xylem sap upward ahead of it.
• This force, called root pressure, can push xylem sap
up to a few metres.
• Root pressure is not enough to bring water up all trees.
 2. Up the stem
b. Capillary action
- If water is present in a narrow (capillary) tube, forces
of attraction exist between:
- Water molecules
- Water molecules and surface of the tube
- Causes water to move up the tubes
- Effect is called capillary action
- Cannot account for water rising up a tall tree
 Up the stem
c. Transpiration pull

- Transpiration: Loss of water from aerial parts of plant,

especially through stomata of leaves

- Transpiration pull: Suction force caused by

transpiration
- Main factor that causes water to move up the xylem

- Transpiration stream: Stream of water moving up

What is transpiration?
Transpiration is the loss of water vapours from the
leaves of a plant. Most of this occurs from the
underside of a leaf, where there are many stomata in
the epidermis.
Most plants control their
water intake by opening
and closing their stomata.
This happens when water
levels change in the guard
cells around each stoma.
This occurs either passively
by osmosis, or by active
transport of solutes.

Transpiration rates also vary naturally in response to

environmental factors such as temperature and
humidity.
 Why is transpiration
important?
• Draws water and mineral salts from the roots
to the stems and the leaves.

• Evaporation of water from the cells in the

leaves removes latent heat of vaporisation,
so the plant is cooled.

• Water transported to the leaves is used for

photosynthesis and maintaining the turgidity
of the leaf cells.
 ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS
THAT AFFECT TRANSPIRATION
1. Temperature of air

2. Air humidity

3. Light intensity

4. Wind/air movement

5. Carbon dioxide concentration

 1. Temperature of air
• Higher temperatures increases the rate of
evaporation

• The higher the temperature, the greater the rate

of transpiration T
Stomata closed

degrees
30
 2. Air Humidity
• Air inside leaf is saturated with
water vapour
• Increasing the humidity of the T
air will decrease the water
vapour concentration gradient
between the leaf and the
atmosphere, therefore
decreasing the rate of
transpiration
• The lower the humidity, the
faster the rate of transpiration Humidity
 3. Light Intensity
• When light intensity is increases, guard cells become
turgid.
• The stomata opens, increasing the rate of transpiration.
• When light intensity is reduced, the stomata closes.

• In greater the light intensity, the greater the rate of

transpiration T
Stomata closed
 4. Wind/air movement
• Blows water vapour away at the
surface of leaves
• Increases concentration gradient
T
between water vapour in the leaf
and outside the leaf
• This would increase transpiration
• When the air is still, transpiration
reduces or stops

• The stronger the wind, the faster Wind

the rate of transpiration
 5. Carbon dioxide
concentration
• When carbon dioxide concentration in the intercellular
spaces of the leaf falls below a critical concentration, the
stomata opens. This increases transpiration.

• An increase in carbon dioxide concentration decreases

the rate of transpiration.
T

Co2 concentration
 Wilting
• Turgor pressure of mesophyll cells supports the leaf and keep it firm
and spread out widely to absorb sunlight for photosynthesis.

• In strong sunlight, when the rate of transpiration exceeds the rate

of absorption of water by the roots, the cells lose their turgor,
become flaccid and the plant wilts.

• Wilting also occurs in the soft stems of certain plants in which the
stem mesophyll cells lose water.

• If rate of transpiration > rate of water absorption, cells become

flaccid and plant wilts

• Advantages: Reduces rate of transpiration and thus, reduces water

loss

• Disadvantage: Stomata are closed, reducing entry of CO2. Rate of

photosynthesis decreases
 Translocation
• Translocation
• The movement of food substances e.g.
sugars (sucrose) and amino acids in a plant

• Translocation studies
• Aphid studies
• Ringing experiment
• Use of radioactive isotopes
Translocation Pathway
• Sugars form in leaf
cells, and are
actively transported
by companion cells
(loaded) into
phloem.
• Bulk flow of water
pushes sap to sinks.
Sink cells actively
remove sugars, and
convert them to
starches. Water is
recycled through
xylem.
 Sources and Sinks

Sources Sinks

These provide assimilates • These use assimilates

to the plant from reactions from the plant in various
or storage for transport processes
• Green leaves & stems • Growing roots
• Storage organs. E.g • Active processes in the
tubers and root taps roots and stem
• Food stores in seeds • Meristem cells activity
dividing
Sucrose makes up 20-30% • Developing stores, e.g
of phloem sap seeds, fruits or storage
organs
 1. Aphid studies
• Aphids are insects that feed on plant juices
• They have a long mouth piece called a proboscis
• The aphid uses its proboscis to penetrate a
leaf/stem and feed
 1. Aphid studies
• When the aphid is feeding, it is
anesthetized with CO2
• The body is cut off, leaving the
embedded proboscis
• Liquid that exudes from the
proboscis contains sucrose and
amino acids
• Sectioning the stem shows the
proboscis is in the phloem sieve
tube
 2. Ringing Experiment
• Cut off a ring of bark, including
the phloem, but leaving the xylem
• Immerse in water and observe
• Swelling observed above the cut
• Due to accumulation of organic
solutes that came from higher up
the tree and could no longer
continue downward because of
the disruption of the phloem.
• Later, the bark below the girdle
died because it no longer
received sugars from the leaves.
• Eventually the roots, and then the
entire tree, died.
3. Use of radioactive isotopes

• Carbon-14 (14C) is a radioactive isotope of

carbon

• If 14CO2 is supplied to the plant, it will be

fixed in the glucose upon photosynthesis:
• 14C6H12O6
• When the stem is cut and placed on a X-ray
film, only the phloem contains radioactivity
 Plant adaptations
• Xerophytes -- Plants that live in dry
conditions
• Adapted to preventing water loss and storing
water

• Hydrophytes – Water plants

• Fully submerged plants adapted to receiving
more sunlight
• Partially submerged plants adapted to float
• Floating plants adapted to float and compete
for sunlight
 Xerophytes

Mechanism Adaptation

Limit water loss Waxy stomata – Reduces water loss by transpiration

Few stomata – Reduces transpiration rate
Sunken stomata – hairs of grooves trap water vapour that
diffuses out. Increases humidity around stomata, therefore
reducing transpiration
Reduced leaf size – Reduces exposed surface area
Curled leaves – Reduces exposed surface area
Water storage Succulent leaves
Succulent stems
Fleshy tubers
 Hydrophytes
Mechanism Adaptation

- Thin/no cuticle.
-Since cuticle is to prevent water loss, there is
less need for cuticle

Large intercellular air spaces – aids buoyancy

Abundant stomata
- No need to reduce water loss
- Maximise gaseous exchange
Using a potometer
1. Insert plant into
cork with hole

2. Smear opening
with petroleum jelly
– makes the
apparatus airtight
4. As plant transpires,
3. Open tap to fill water moves to replace
tube with water water lost in the plant.
Bubble moves along
capillary tube