Transport in plants
What is the function of the xylem and phloem
Plants contain two types of transport vessel:
o Xylem vessels – transport water and minerals (pronounced: zi-lem) from the roots to the
stem and leaves
o Phloem vessels – transport food materials (mainly sucrose and amino acids) made by
the plant from photosynthesising leaves to non-photosynthesising regions in the roots
and stem (pronounced: flow-em)
These vessels are arranged throughout the root, stem and leaves in groups called vascular
bundles
Xylem and phloem diagram
Xylem function
Function: transport tissue for water and
dissolved mineral ions
Adaptations:
o Cells joined end to end with no
cross walls to form a long
continuous tube
o Cells are
essentially dead, without cell
contents, to allow free passage
of water
o Outer walls are thickened with
a substance
called lignin, strengthening the
tubes, which helps support the
plant
Root Hair Cells
Root hairs are single-celled extensions of epidermis cells in the root
They grow between soil particles and absorb water and minerals from the soil
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
The root hair increases the
surface area of the cells
significantly
This large surface area is
important as it increases
the rate of the absorption
of water by osmosis and
mineral ions by active
transport
Pathway taken by water
Water is taken up from the soil into root hair cells
Water then moves across the root cortex and into the xylem vessels by osmosis
Water is then transported in the xylem to the leaves where it enters the leaf mesophyll cells
So the pathway is:
root hair cell → root cortex cells → xylem → leaf mesophyll cells
Investigating water movement in plants
The pathway taken by water through a plant can be studied using a suitable stain, or dye, as
follows:
1. place a plant stem, e.g. celery, into a beaker of water that has had a stain added to it
2. leave for a few hours, or until the leaves of the celery turn the same colour as the dyed
water
o This indicates that the dye has travelled all the way up the xylem
3. cut a cross-section of the stem and view the position of the coloured dye, which will
correspond with the location of the xylem vessels
Transpiration
Water travels up xylem from the roots into the leaves of the plant to replace the water that has
been lost due to transpiration
Transpiration is defined as the loss of water vapour from plant leaves by evaporation of water
at the surfaces of the mesophyll cells followed by diffusion of water vapour through the
stomata
Xylem is adapted in many ways:
o A substance called lignin is deposited in the cell walls which causes the xylem cells to die
o These cells then become hollow (as they lose all their organelles and cytoplasm) and
join end-to-end to form a continuous tube for water and mineral ions to travel through
from the roots
o Lignin strengthens the plant to help it withstand the pressure of the water movement
Movement in xylem only takes place in one direction - from roots to leaves (unlike phloem
where movement takes place in different directions)
Transpiration has several functions in plants:
o transporting mineral ions
o providing water to keep cells turgid in order to support the structure of the plant
o providing water to leaf cells for photosynthesis
o keeping the leaves cool (the conversion of water (liquid) into water vapour (gas) as it
leaves the cells and enters the airspace requires heat energy. The using up of heat to
convert water into water vapour helps to cool the plant down)
Investigating the Effect of Temperature & Wind Speed on Transpiration Rate
Investigating the role of environmental factors in determining the rate of transpiration from a leafy
shoot
Cut a shoot underwater to prevent air entering the xylem and place in tube
Set up the apparatus as shown in the diagram and make sure it is airtight, using vaseline to seal
any gaps
Dry the leaves of the shoot (wet leaves will affect the results)
Remove the
capillary tube from
the beaker of water
to allow a single air
bubble to form and
place the tube back
into the water
Set up the
environmental
factor you are
investigating
Allow the plant to
adapt to the new
environment for 5
minutes
Record the starting
location of the air
bubble
Leave for a set
period of time
Record the end
location of air
bubble
Change the wind
speed or
temperature (only
one - whichever
factor is being
investigated)
Reset the bubble
by opening the tap
below the reservoir
Repeat the
experiment
The further the
bubble travels in
the same time
period, the faster transpiration is occurring and vice versa
Environmental factors can be investigated in the following ways:
Temperature: Temperature of room (cold room and warm room)
As temperature increases, the rate of transpiration also increases
Wind speed: Use an electric fan to mimic different wind speeds
As wind speed increases, the rate of transpiration also increases
Water Vapour Loss: Extended
Extended Tier Only
Evaporation takes place from the surfaces of spongy mesophyll cells
The many interconnecting air spaces between these cells and the stomata create a large surface
area
This means evaporation can happen rapidly when stomata are open
Explaining the Effects of Temperature, Wind Speed & Humidity: Extended
Extended Tier Only
Wind speed, humidity and temperature all have an effect on the rate at which transpiration
occurs
The table below explains how these factors affect the rate of transpiration when they are all
high; the opposite effect would be observed if they were low
Transpiration Rate Factors Table
A potometer can be used to investigate the effect of environmental factors on the rate of
transpiration
Wilting: Extended
Extended Tier Only
If more water evaporates from
the leaves of a plant than is
available in the soil to move into
the root by osmosis,
then wilting will occur
This is when all the cells of the
plant are not full of water, so the
strength of the cell walls cannot
support the plant and it starts to
collapse
Translocation: Extended
The soluble products of photosynthesis are sugars (mainly sucrose) and amino acids
These are transported around the plant in the phloem tubes which are made of living cells (as
opposed to xylem vessels which are made of dead cells)
The cells are joined end to end and contain holes in the end cell walls (called sieve plates) which
allow easy flow of substances from one cell to the next
The transport of sucrose and amino acids in the phloem, from regions of production to regions
of storage or use, is called translocation
Transport in the phloem goes in many different directions depending on the stage of
development of the plant or the time of year; however dissolved food is always transported from
the source (where it’s made) to sink (where it’s stored or used):
During winter, when many plants have no leaves, the phloem tubes may transport dissolved
sucrose and amino acids from the storage organs to other parts of the plant so that respiration
can continue
During a growth
period (eg during the
spring), the storage
organs (eg roots)
would be the source
and the many growing
areas of the plant
would be the sinks
After the plant has
grown (usually during
the summer), the
leaves are
photosynthesizing
and producing large
quantities of sugars;
so they become the
source and the roots
become the sinks –
storing sucrose as
starch until it is
needed again