Plant Physiology

For. Joy Hilel C. Pantalone

Plant Physiology

 It is a science that deals

and study about the
different physiological
processes and functions in
plants.
Plant Functions

1.Capture energy and assimilate carbon

2.Distribute nutrients and water
3.Grow and develop
4.Respond to the environment
5.Reproduce
Tree growth

 Is the increase in size

and numbers of the
vegetative structures.
Vegetative Structures

 Leaves
 Stems
 Roots
Reproductive Structures

 Flowers/Cones
 Fruits
 Seeds
 Where does growth occur?
 Growth occurs in meristems.
 A meristem – is a tissue containing cells
that have the capacity to divide to make
new cells.
 In general, during growth, CELLS DIVIDE,
CELLS ELONGATE, and CELLS Differentiate
into structures such as roots and shoots.
 Meristems can also produce new meristems
called PRIMORDIA
SHOOT GROWTH

 Shoots elongate or grow in height at

the tips of the branches
 Apical meristems are located in the
terminal buds at the tips of the
branches.
 Cells at the apical meristem divide,
elongate and differentiate in distinctly
visible steps:
1. The bud at the tip of the branch opens,
2. Leaves emerge and enlarge, and,
3. The area between the leaves expands
(i.e., the stem grows). Lateral (side) buds
grow in the same way but often these are
dormant and do not grow until they are
released after such activities as pruning.
Leaf growth
 On the surface of the apical meristem in
the bud, a new meristem is formed,
known as :
 LEAF PRIMORDIUM – where cells divide
and grow into a leaf.
 Then a new bud primordium is formed at
the base of each leaf stem, known as
AUXIALIARY BUD has the capacity to
become a branch, but may lie dormant
for many years.
 Diameter growth
 • Between the wood and bark is a thin
layer of dividing meristematic cells called the
vascular cambium.
 • The cambium divides producing new
wood towards the inside and bark on the
outside. Two types of new growth will occur:
 a) Xylem - carry water and minerals up from the
roots to the leaves. The old wood in the middle is
the heartwood - while dead, it supports the
weight of the tree.
 b) Phloem - carry sugars and other materials
to the growth and storage locations of the tree.
 c) New layers of wood are added each year
between the bark and the previous year’s wood.
These are called growth or annual rings and
may be used to age a tree.
 d) Annual rings vary in size and thickness
according to the season that they are formed.
 e) Cells that are produced in the spring are
larger with thinner cell walls. These are the
light-colored rings, and the wood is called
“early” or “spring” wood
 f) Cells produced in the summer are
smaller, and this “late” or “summer” wood
has a higher density and darker color.
 g) All woody trees have an outer bark that
constantly renews itself and protects the
tree from pest attacks and environmental
impacts such as fire and mechanical injury.
 h) The bark thickens as the tree aged and
is influenced by the activity of the cork
cambium
PROCESSES: ABSORPTION (Soil –
Roots)
Adsorption

 is the process in which

atoms, ions or molecules
from a substance (it could be
gas, liquid or dissolved solid)
adhere to a surface of the
adsorbent
ABSORPTION

is the process in which a

fluid is dissolved by a
liquid or a solid
(absorbent).
 ABSORPTION
 • Plants take up water and essential
minerals via their roots and thus need a
maximal surface area in order to
optimize this uptake
 • The monocotyledon root has a
fibrous, highly branching structure
which increases surface area for
maximal absorption
 • The dicotyledon root has a main tap
root which can penetrate deeply into
the soil to access deeper reservoirs of
water and minerals, as well as lateral
branches to maximize surface area
 • The root epidermis may have
extensions called root hairs which
further increase surface area for
mineral and water absorption
 • These root hairs have carrier
proteins and ion pumps in their
plasma membrane, and many
mitochondria within the
cytoplasm, to aid active
transport.
Pathways By Which Minerals
Move From The Soil To Roots
 • Diffusion: Movement
of minerals along a
concentration gradient
 • Mass Flow: Uptake of mineral ions
by means of a hydrostatic pressure
gradient
– Water being taken into roots via
osmosis creates a negative hydrostatic
pressure in the soil
– Minerals form hydrogen bonds with
water molecules and are dragged to
the root, concentrating them for
absorption
 Fungal Hyphae: Absorb
minerals from the soil and
exchange with sugars from
the plant (mutualism)
 Process of Mineral Absorption
 • Minerals enter the root by active
transport.
 • Minerals that need to be taken up from
the soil include K+, Na+, Ca2+, NH4+,
P4O3- and NO3-
 • Fertile soil invariably contains
negatively charged clay particles to which
positively charged minerals may attach
 • Root cells contain proton pumps
that actively pump H+ ions into the
surrounding soil, which displaces
the positively charged minerals
allowing for their absorption (the
negatively charged minerals may
bind to the H+ ions and be
reabsorbed with the proton)
 Mechanism of Transport
 a. Active transport – involves symplast
movement where the solutes enter first
the cell sap and then passes from one cell
to another.
 b. Passive transport – involves apoplastic
movement where the solutes move through
the free spaces of the root.
CONDUCTION : Roots - Leaves

 • From the root hairs, solutes are

moved to the vascular cylinder via
active transport.
 • Solutes from the vascular
cylinder are then conducted via the
Xylem as can be explained by the
following theories:
 • Capillarity Theory. According to
this theory, water is translocated
because water molecules adhere to
the surfaces of small, or capillary,
tubes. This adhesion causes water
to somewhat “creep” upward along
the sides of xylem elements.
 Atmospheric Pressure Theory. This is based on the
observation that normal atmospheric pressure is
able to push water in a tube upward up to about
10.4 meters. This is demonstrated by first filling
with water a long tube with one end closed. This
tube is then placed with its open end down in a
tub of water. The force of gravity will tend to pull
the water in the tube downward, but atmospheric
pressure exerted on the water surface in the tub
will push it up. These opposing pressures
equilibriate when the height of the water column
in the tube is 10.4 m
 • Cohesion-Tension or Transpiration-Cohesion
Theory. This explains that the upward movement
of water is mainly due to the creation of a
negative force or tension attributed to the
continuous evaporation of water at the surfaces
of leaves in the process of transpiration. As
molecule after molecule of water evaporates
through the stomata, it creates a pulling action
on the next molecules of water in the
transpiration stream. This pulling force,
otherwise called transpiration pull, is strong
enough to overcome the force of gravity which is
responsible for the tendency of water to move
 • TRANSPIRATION – is the process
by which moisture is carried
through plants from roots to small
pores on the underside of leaves,
where it changes to vapor and is
released to the atmosphere.
 PROCESSES:
Photosynthesis
 Photosynthesis - is the
process of converting light
energy to chemical energy
and storing it in the bonds
of sugar.
 Plants are autotrophs – which means
they can manufacture their own food
(sugar).
 Plants need only the following
materials to manufacture sugar:
 light energy
 Carbon dioxide
 water
 • The overall chemical reaction
involved in photosynthesis is:
 6CO2 + 6H2O (+ light energy) → C6H12O6
+ 6O2.
 • Photosynthesis takes place in the
chloroplast, specifically using chlorophyll
- the green pigment that captures light
through the stomata (stomates) of the
leaves.
 • The chloroplast is located in the
mesophyll cells of the leaves.
 Structure of the Chloroplast

 the outer and inner membrane

 Inter membrane space
 Stroma
 thylakoids, stacked in grana
STAGES OF PHOTOSYNTHESIS
A. Light Reaction-

 happens in the thylakoid

membrane and converts
light energy to chemical
energy.
 • Chlorophyll and several other
pigments such as beta-carotene are
organized in clusters in the thylakoid
membrane and are involved in the light
reaction.
 • Each of these differently-colored
pigments can absorb a slightly different
color of light and pass its energy to the
central chlorphyll molecule to do
photosynthesis.
 • Two Forms of Energy Produced
1. Adenosine Triphosphate ( ATP)
2. Nicotinamide Adenine Dinucleotide Phosphate
( NADPH)
B. DARK REACTION

 takes place in the stroma

within the chloroplast, and
converts CO2 to sugar,
utilizing the energy formed
from light reaction.
 • involves a cycle called the Calvin cycle
in which CO2 and energy from ATP are used
to form sugar.
 • glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate - first
product of photosynthesis, a three-carbon
compound.
 • C3 plants – all plants that directly
process sugar into a Calvin cycle.
 • During hot weather, the amount of
water that evaporates from the plant
increases.
 • To counter act this process,
plants have to close their stomates
which lead to low absorption of
carbon dioxide, hence
Photosynthesis rate decreases.
 • If the plants continue to
attempt fixing CO2 while its level
in the leaf becomes low ( 50
ppm), Photorespiration occurs.
 • To prevent photorespiration, two
specialized biochemical additions have
been evolved in the plant world:
 a. C4 plants- have a special enzyme
that can work better, even at very low
CO2 levels, to grab CO2 and turn it first
into oxaloacetate, which contains 4
carbons and put it into the Calvin cycle.
Ex. crab grass, corn, sugar cane
 b. CAM plants (crassulacean acid
metabolism). These are plants from
CRASSULACEAE, ex. Cacti and pineapple.
Their stomata are closed during day time. At
night when they can open their stomates
and take in CO2, these plants incorporate
the CO2 into various organic compounds to
store it. In the daytime, when the light
reaction is occurring and ATP is available
(but the stomates must remain closed), they
take the CO2 from these organic compounds
and put it into the Calvin cycle.
 Factors Affecting
Photosynthesis
 1. Light
 2. Mutual shading of leaves - the more
number of leaves shading each other the
slower is the rate of photosynthesis.
 3. Photoperiod - Trees will accumulate
more total photosynthate if exposed to a
long day than if exposed to short one.
 4. Temperature
 5. Carbon dioxide - the higher the
concentration of carbon dioxide, the
greater is the rate of photosynthesis.
 6. Soil fertility - Nitrogen and
magnesium are components of
chlorophyll molecule, and a deficiency of
either inhibits photosynthesis.
 7. Age of leaves – young leaves have low
photosynthesis due to small leaf area.
Photosynthesis increase with age up to a
critical level of maturity and then declines with
age.
 8. Stomatal distribution and behavior - the
more dense the stomata in the leaf, the higher
the intake of carbon dioxide, thus increase
photosynthetic rate.
 9. Chlorophyll content - photosynthesis in
leaves with an abnormally light green color
usually is less than that in leaves with a
-end-