Chapter 7

Transport in Flowering Plants

Root Hair Cells
 Root hairs cells are found on the outer surface of plant roots; they
have root hairs, which are extensions of the cell membrane that grow
between soil particles and absorb water and minerals from the soil
 The root hair increases the surface area of the cells significantly
 This large surface area is important as it increases the rate of absorption
 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
 Minerals enter root hair cells by active transport
Pathway Taken by Water

 Water enters roots via root hair cells, by the process of osmosis
 Water then moves across the root, through the cells of the root cortex
 Water travels from the roots to the leaves of plants in the xylem, where
it moves into the cells of the leaf mesophyll
 The pathway of water through a plant can be summarised as follows:
 root hair cell → root cortex cells → xylem → leaf mesophyll cells
Investigating Water Movement in
Plants
 The movement of water through a plant can be observed by placing a
plant stem, e.g. celery, into a beaker of water that has had a stain
added to it, e.g. food colouring
 The dyed water will be taken up by the celery, and travel through
the xylem to the leaves
 A cross-section cut through the celery stem will show regions of
different colour from the food dye; this shows the location of the xylem
vessels
Transpiration
 Water travels from the roots to the leaves of plants in the xylem
vessels
 When water reaches the leaves it enters leaf mesophyll cells
 Water evaporates from the surface of leaf mesophyll cells into
the air spaces in the leaf, from where it diffuses out of the leaf via
the stomata in transpiration
 Transpiration can be defined as:
 Water evaporates from the surface of leaf mesophyll cells and
diffuses out of the stomata during transpiration
 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
Investigating the Effect of Temperature, Wind
Speed & Light Intensity on Transpiration Rate

 It is possible to investigate the effect of different environmental

factors on the rate of transpiration using a piece of apparatus called
a potometer
 Environmental factors that could be studied include:
 Wind speed
 Light intensity
 Temperature
 There are 2 types of potometer
 A mass potometer measures the change in mass of a plant as a measure of the
volume of water that has evaporated from the leaves and stem
 A bubble potometer measures the uptake of water to indicate the volume of
water that is being lost by evaporation
Investigating the effect of light intensity on
transpiration using a bubble potometer

 Apparatus
 Water basin
 Scalpel or sharp scissors
 Photometer
 Vaseline
 Paper towel
 Timer
 Lamp
 Ruler
 Method
 Cut a plant shoot underwater
 This prevents air entering the xylem and forming blockages which may
affect the uptake of water
 Assemble the photometer underwater and use Vaseline to seal the
joins
 The prevents air entering the photometer
 Set up the photometer on a workbench with the end of the capillary
tube in a beaker of water
 Dry the leaves of the shoot
 Water on the leaves can block the stomata and reduce water loss from the
plant shoot
 Remove the capillary tube from the beaker of water to allow a
single air bubble to form, then place the tube back into the water
 Set up a lamp 10 cm from the leaf
 Allow the plant to adapt to the new environment for 5 minutes
 Record the starting position of the air bubble using a ruler
 Leave for 30 minutes
 Record the end position of the air bubble on the ruler
 Reset the bubble in the photometer by opening the tap below the
reservoir
 Repeat the experiment twice more at this light intensity
 Change the light intensity by moving the lamp, e.g. to 20 cm from the
plant
 Carry out further repeats at this new light intensity, and at other light
intensity levels
 Results
 The further the bubble travels along the tube, the more water has been taken up
by the plant
 We would expect that as light intensity increases, the bubble will travel
further during the 30 minute time period
 Transpiration rate increases with light intensity because more stomata tend to
be open in bright light in order to maximise photosynthesis
 Investigating other factors
 The same technique can be used to investigate the effect of other environmental
factors:
 Temperature can be investigated by setting up a potometer in rooms at different
temperatures
 Wind speed can be investigated using an electric fan to generate air movement
Explaining the Effects of Temperature, Wind Speed,
Humidity & Light Intensity

 The effects of environmental factors on transpiration rate

 The rate at which transpiration occurs is affected by factors in the
environment, including:
 Wind speed
 Temperature
 Humidity
 Light intensity
 The table below explains how these factors affect transpiration rate
Wilting

 If water is lost by transpiration more quickly than it can be replaced

then wilting will occur
 During wilting the cells of the plant lose water, so they are no
longer turgid; these cells can no longer support the weight of the plant,
so the plant tissues become floppy and the plant stems may fall over
 Wilting can be beneficial to the plant; wilted leaves may become folded,
reducing the exposure of stomata to the outside air and slowing further
water loss
 Plants that remain wilted for extended periods will eventually die due to
the death of leaves and the inability to photosynthesise
Transpiration Stream

 During transpiration water molecules evaporate from the surface of

mesophyll cells in the leaf before diffusing out of the leaf through the stomata
 When water is lost from leaves in this way, more water is drawn up the xylem to
replace it; this movement of water in the xylem from the roots to the leaves of
plants is the transpiration stream
 The transpiration stream is maintained by forces of attraction, known as
cohesion, between water molecules as follows:
 Water is lost from the leaves during transpiration
 More water molecules are drawn into the leaf by osmosis
 The moving water molecules 'pull' neighbouring water molecules up the xylem behind
them due to forces of attraction between the molecules
 A continuous column of water moves up the xylem
 The upward force generated by transpiration in the leaves is transpiration pull
Translocation

 The soluble products of photosynthesis are sugars and amino acids

 These are transported around the plant in the phloem
 Sugars are transported in the form of sucrose
 The transport of sucrose and amino acids in the phloem, from regions of
production to regions of storage or use, is known as translocation
 Translocation involves the transport of dissolved substances from a
source to a sink inside a plant
 A source is the part of a plant that supplies sucrose and amino acids
 A sink is where sucrose and amino acids will be used or stored
 Transport in the phloem occurs in different directions depending on
the stage of development or the time of year
The Xylem & Phloem
 Plants contain vascular tissue for transport of substances, including:
 Xylem vessels (pronounced: zy-lem) transport water and minerals from the roots to the stem and
leaves
 Phloem vessels transport sucrose and amino acids from sources to sinks
 These vessels are arranged throughout the root, stem and leaves in groups called vascular
bundles
 In stems vascular bundles are arranged around the outer edge, with phloem vessels closer to the
outside of the stem, and xylem vessels closer to the inside
 In roots there is a single vascular bundle in the centre of the root, inside which the xylem forms an
'x' shape and phloem are arranged around the outside of the xylem
 Stems and roots also contain a region of tissue known as the cortex; this is a layer of tissue
that lies between the vascular tissue ands the outer surface of the plant
 In stems the cortex is a narrow band of tissue, as the vascular tissue is close to the surface of the
stem
 In roots the cortex is wide and takes up most of the root
 Functions of the cortex include:
 Transport, e.g. of water towards the vascular tissue
 Storage, e.g. of starch
Adaptations of Xylem Vessels

 Xylem vessels are adapted to allow them to carry out the following functions:
 Transport of water and minerals from roots to leaves
 Structural support of plant stems
 The features of xylem vessels that enable them to carry out these functions include:
 The outer walls of xylem vessels are thickened with a substance called lignin
 Lignin strengthens the tubes, reducing the chance of breakages which might impede the flow of
water
 Lignin provides structural support to the plant stem
 Xylem cells are dead and contain no cell contents
 The xylem tubes are hollow, allowing free passage of water
 Xylem cells are joined end-to-end with no cross walls
 This means that a continuous tube is formed, through which water and dissolved minerals can flow
Xylem cells lose their top and bottom walls to
form a continuous tube through which water
and dissolved minerals can flow

Examiner Tip
Remember that to gain full marks in questions
about the special features of xylem, it is always a
good idea to clearly relate structure to
function, e.g. rather than just saying 'xylem
vessels have lignin', you should say 'xylem vessels
have lignin which strengthens the vessels and
prevents breakages'