Transport in Plants

Chapter 4
Lesson 4.1 Plants and Water
 How do plants get what they need?
What do plants need for healthy growth?
 Minerals
 Sunlight
 Carbon Dioxide for Photosynthesis and Oxygen for respiration.
 Water

Where do plants get these material?

Like all organisms, plants have to get materials for growth from their
environment. Plants must then get these nutrients to the part of the plant
that needs them.
 Moving materials
How do plants transport materials to where they are needed?
 How do plants get what they need?
The structures of cells and tissue in different parts of the plant are
adapted to allow transportation of essential materials.
Leaves are entry and exit points
for the gases needed by plants.
Stems connect the roots to
the leaves, flowers and fruits.
They contain cells specially
adapted for transportation of
water, minerals and sugars.
Roots absorb water and
minerals from the soil.
 Inside The Soil
Soil
• The plant roots are found embedded within the soil.
• The soil is made of particles of rocks, irregularly shaped with all sorts of
different shapes they do not pack with each other tightly hence they
have lots of empty spaces within them.
• These spaces are filled with air and water.
Roots
• Small special cells stick out of the roots these are called ROOT HAIR
CELLS.
• Root Hair cells provide a large surface area through which water and
minerals can be absorbed from the soil into the plants.
 Root Hair Structure
Root Hair Cells
• Each root hair cell is made up of one single cell.
• Water moves from the soil into the plant through the root hair.
• Mineral ions pass along with the water through the same route
• Path of water:
Soil Cell wall Cell membrane Cytoplasm Root Cells Transport
tissue
 Moving up the Plant
Plants contain two types of cell adapted for transportation.
• Xylem cells transport water and minerals up the stem
from the roots to the shoots and leaves. This transport
occurs in one direction only WATER TRANSPORT
SYSTEM
• Phloem cells transport sugars produced in the leaves up
and down the stem to growing and storage tissues.
• The cells are arranged in plants as vascular bundles.
• Both phloem and xylem form continuous systems
connecting roots, stems and leaves.
• Both phloem and xylem form continuous systems
connecting roots, stems and leaves.
 Moving up the Plant

• After the water and minerals are absorbed through root hair cells, they
moves out of the root and into the Xylem Vessels which are located at
the centre of the root.
• The Xylem vessels are hollow tubes that are made up off dead cells
stacked on top of each other..
• The Xylem vessels have tough and strong walls that give it strength to
extend throughout the plant from the roots all the way to the leaves.
 Cross Section of a Root Structures
stem showing the
Xylem vessels

-.
 How is xylem adapted for transportation?
- Xylem vessels have thick cellulose cell walls, strengthened by lignin.
The inside of the cell is hollow.
- Xylem vessels are dead cells that are stacked on top of each other.
- The dead cells have lost all their inside material and kept only their cell
wall.
- Their cell wall part that is at the point of contact between two cells has
also disappeared.
- Xylem vessels transport water and minerals from the roots to the shoot
and leaves. This transport only occurs in one direction.
- The thick walls of xylem cells also help support plants
 Xylem Structure & Vascular Bundle
Arrangement
Xylem cells have extra reinforcement in their cell walls, and this helps
to support the weight of the plant. For this reason, the transport
systems (Vascular bundles of Phloem and Xylem together) are arranged
differently in root and stem – in the root it has to resist forces that could
pull the plant out of the ground. In the stem it has to resist compression
and bending forces caused by the weight of the plant and the wind.
 Vascular Bundle Arrangement
STEM ROOT
In the Stem: the xylem and phloem are In the Root: xylem and phloem in the centre of
arranged in bundles near the edge of the stem the root to withstand stretching forces
to resist compression and bending forces.
In Summary: Water Absorption
Lesson 4.2 Transpiration
 How do tall trees get enough water?

Redwoods are the tallest species of tree in the world.

The tallest redwood ever measured was 120 metres tall.
That is six times the height of the Angel of the North!
How does a plant this size get water from its roots to the
branches at the top?

The water will travel up the stem, or trunk, of the tree.

What experiment could show that water travels up stems?

 Xylem transport throughout the plant
- Xylem vessels are involved in the movement of water through a plant -
from its roots to its leaves via the stem.

During this process:

1.Water is absorbed from the soil through root hair cells.

2.Water moves by osmosis from root cell to root cell until it reaches the
xylem.
3.It is transported through the xylem vessels up the stem to the leaves.
4.It evaporates from the leaves (transpiration) TRANSPIRATION
The Process of Transpiration
 What is transpiration?
Transpiration is the loss of water by evaporation from plant
leaves.
• Plants lose water when they open the stomata in the leaves to let in
carbon dioxide.
• Water always moves from an area of high concentration to an area of low
concentration. This movement of water is a type of diffusion called
osmosis.
• Air around the plant usually contains less water than the cells of the plant,
so water evaporates into the air.
• Although it may seem bad for plants, transpiration actually moves water
from the roots to the top of the plant, without using energy.
The Process of Transpiration
 Steps of Transpiration
1. Water reaches the leaves through the Xylem vessels.
2.  This water moves from the Xylem vessels into the plant leaf cells.
3. The leaf cells use some of the water for photosynthesis.
4. The rest of the water that is not used for photosynthesis remains on the surface of the cells.
5. The water on the surface of the cells evaporates and goes into the air spaces around the cells.
6. The Water Vapor that is around the cells in the air spaces diffuses from inside the leaf to the
outside of the leaf through the Stomata.
7. The more the evaporation, the more water is sucked up from the roots through the Xylem vessels.
8. This produces a continuous flow of water and dissolved minerals moving up the xylem tube from
the roots, up the stem, and into the leaves. This is known as the transpiration stream.
 Rate of Transpiration
Transpiration is a bit like a straw, pulling water up the plant. Sometimes the
pulling force will be stronger and the plant will lose more water.
The speed at which a plant loses water is called the rate of transpiration.
This varies depending on the plant’s environment.
What environmental factors will affect the rate of transpiration?
• Humidity (amount of moisture in the air)
• Light intensity
• Temperature
• Air movement (wind).
 Factors Affecting Transpiration rate
Factor Description Explanation
Light Transpiration increases in The stomata open wider to
bright light allow more carbon dioxide
into the leaf for
photosynthesis. More
water is therefore able to 
evaporate.
Temperature Transpiration is faster in Evaporation and diffusion
higher temperatures  are faster at higher
temperatures.
Wind Transpiration is faster in Water vapour is removed
windy conditions quickly by air movement,
speeding up diffusion of
more water vapour out of
the leaf.
Humidity Transpiration is slower in Diffusion of water vapour
humid conditions out of the leaf slows down
if the leaf is already
surrounded by moist air.
 Factors Affecting Transpiration rate
• Factors that speed up transpiration will also increase the rate of
water uptake from the soil.
• If the loss of water is faster than the rate at which it is being
replaced by the roots ( Net water loss by the plant), then plants
can slow down the transpiration rate by closing some of their
stomata.
• This is regulated by guard cells, which lie on either side of a 
stoma The Guard cells will lose water, become flaccid and
close up.
 How is the rate of transpiration measured?
Transpiration can be measured using a potometer.
A cut plant stem is sealed into the
potometer using a rubber bung.

An air bubble is introduced

to the capillary tube.

The distance the bubble travels

shows how much water the
stem has taken up.
This gives an indirect measurement
of the rate of transpiration.
 Why do plants need water?
• Support: Plant cells contain lots of water in their Vacuoles this gives them a full
and firm shape. When all the cells are full of water, the plant is well supported.

• Transport: as water gets into the plant from the soil, it brings with it minerals and
salts as well.

• Cooling: as water evaporates from the surface of the cells and leaves, it takes away
heat and the plant cools down.

• Photosynthesis: water is needed for photosynthesis as it reacts with carbon dioxide

to produce glucose and oxygen.
 Glossary (1/2)
 active transport – The movement of a substance from an area of low
concentration to high concentration.
 concentration gradient – A change in the concentration of a
substance from one area to another.
 cellulose – The main component of cell walls.
 diffusion – The movement of a substance from an area of high
concentration to low concentration.
 guard cells – A pair of cells that control the opening and closing of a
stoma (single hole).
 humidity – The amount of water vapour in the air.
 lignin – A substance found in some xylem cells, which strengthens the cell
wall.
 osmosis – The movement of water from an area of high concentration to
low concentration.
 Glossary (2/2)
 phloem – Plant tissue that transports food.
 potometer – A piece of equipment that can be used to indirectly measure the rate of
transpiration.
 root hair cell – A thin, hair-like outgrowth on roots.
 transpiration – The evaporation and diffusion of water from leaves into the air.
 sieve tube – A series of joined phloem cells.
 stoma (singular) – A single hole on the lower surface of the leaf that allows gases
in and out.
 stomata (plural) – Small holes in the lower surface of a leaf that allow gases in
and out.
 vascular bundle – A grouping of transport tissues.
 xylem – Plant tissue that transports water and minerals.