Chapter-2
Tissues
Plants cannot move from one place to another i.e. show locomotion
to meet their requirements. Therefore, they are provided with some
tissues which are made up of dead cells, which helps in providing
mechanical strength. They have the ability to withstand
unfavourable conditions like strong winds, storms, floods, etc.
Animals on the other hand can move from one to another in search
of food, mates, or shelter. They have to consume more energy in
comparison to plants. Most of the tissues present in them are living.
Cell growth seen in animals is very uniform. The structural
organisation of organs and organ systems is quite specialized and
localized in animals in comparison to complex plants.
Tissues
A tissue is defined as a group of similar cells that are structurally
organised to carry out a specific function. Each tissue type in an
organism is specialised to perform a particular task with high
efficiency.
The term “tissue” in a biological context was coined by the French
anatomist Xavier Bichat in the early 19th century. Bichat, often
referred to as “the father of modern histology”, defined tissues as
collections of cells working together to perform specific functions.
The term “histology” was later coined by the German biologist Karl
Wilhelm Von Nägeliin the mid-19th century. It is derived from the
Greek words ‘histo’(tissue) and logy(study).
Plant Tissues:
1. Meristematic Tissue:
The growth in plants occurs in very specific regions. This is due to
the presence of dividing tissue commonly known as meristematic
tissue. On the basis of the region where they are present,
meristematic tissues are further classified as apical, lateral, and
intercalary.
a) Apical meristem is the meristem present at the apical or
growing area mainly the tips of stems and roots. Apical
meristem is responsible for the increase in the length of the
plant.
b) Lateral meristem is generally found in the radial portion of the
stem or root. Lateral meristem is responsible for the increase
in the girth of the plant.
c) Intercalary meristem appears at the base of the leaves or at
the internodes. Intercalary meristem causes an increase in the
length of the internode.
2. Permanent Tissue:
The older meristematic cells tend to lose the capacity to divide and
turn to permanent tissues. This process of attaining a permanent
shape, size, and function is known as differentiation.
These cells have lost their capacity to divide but now perform a
specified function to provide strength, flexibility and elasticity to the
plant. These tissues are divided into simple permanent, complex
permanent and special tissues.
Simple permanent tissues are divided into the parenchyma,
collenchyma and sclerenchyma and these are divided on the basis
of their function.
a) Parenchyma: Parenchyma are living cells and are loosely
packed. It plays a role in supporting the plant and storing
food. In some cases, it may contain chlorophyll also and
perform photosynthesis and then it is known to be
chlorenchyma. Parenchyma when contains large air cavities
like in aquatic plants, then it is known as aerenchyma. The
aerenchyma helps in providing buoyancy in aquatic plants.
b) Collenchyma: Collenchyma are elongated living cells with very
small intercellular spaces. Their cell walls consist of cellulose
and pectin. Collenchyma mainly occurs in the peripheral
regions of stems and leaves in order to provide mechanical
support and flexibility to plants.
c) Sclerenchyma: These are long, dead cells with deposition of
lignin in their cell wall and have no intercellular spaces.
Sclerenchyma is found in the vascular tissues in stems, in
veins of leaves, and in the hard covering of seeds and nuts.
They are responsible for providing strength to the plant.
Complex Permanent Tissue consist of more than one type of cell working
together to perform a specific function. Unlike simple tissues, which are
made up of identical cells, complex tissues have a variety of cell types
that coordinate to carry out their functions.
The primary examples of complex tissues are the xylem and phloem. Both
are conducting tissues that make up vascular bundles, which are crucial
for plant survival on land.