NR 215
PLANT BIOLOGY
Lecture 4:
Roots
Overview
Root Development
Root Structure
Specialized Roots
Mycorrhizae
Root Nodules
Soils
Roots
Function:
1. Anchor
Most plants no
more than ~3-5
meters (10-16)
into soil
Alfalfa > 6m (20
ft)
Mesquite ~55m
(175 ft)
2. Absorb water
and minerals
3. Store food
Different Conditions Between Algae and Terrestrial
Plants
Algae
Supportive Medium (water)
Photosynthesis in most cells
Direct access to water and Terrestrial Plants
minerals Non-supportive medium (air)
No photosynthesis in roots
Aerial parts not in direct contact
with water and minerals
Root Surface Area
Surface area of root system
A single rye plant (in 2’ x 2’ x5’
space)
15 million individual roots
644 km
Surface area ~ volleyball court
(160 m2)
How Roots Develop
When a seed germinates, the
embryo’s radicle grows out
and develops into the first
root
May develop into thick
taproot with branch roots
Dicots (Dicotyledonous
Plants) (e.g. peas, carrots)
May develop adventitious
roots that develop a fibrous
root system
Monocots
(Monocotyledonous Plants)
(e.g. grass, corn, rice)
Time lapse radish video
Root Systems
Root Structure
1. Root Cap
2. Region of Cell
Division
3. Region of Elongation
4. Region of Maturation
Root Structure: Root Cap
Root Cap = Thimble-shaped mass of parenchyma
cells covering each root tip
Protects apical meristem
Lubricates root as it moves through the soil
No equivalent structure in stems
Root cap cells constantly lost and replaced (~ 1 week)
Perception of gravity takes place in root cap cells
Amyloplasts (plastids containing starch) relocate in cell
when root is turned…exact mechanism unknown
Root gravitropism video (5min intervals, response in 30
minutes)
Root Structure: Region of Cell Division
Apical meristem
Inverted, cup-shaped dome
Cells divide every 12-36 hours
Cells produced are cubical in shape, large
nucleus and few, if any, small vacuoles
Apical meristem subdivides into 3
meristematic areas
Protoderm: gives rise to epidermis
Ground Meristem: produces parenchyma of
the cortex
Procambium: produces primary xylem and
phloem
Solid core of xylem and phloem in dicot roots;
pith present in monocot roots
Root Structure: Region of
Elongation
Cells become
elongated (several
times their original
length) as cell
differentiation
proceeds
Cells assume their
mature size and
shape in this region
Lacks root hairs
Root Structure: Region of Maturation
Also called “Region of Differentiation”
Cells fully mature in this region
Root hairs (extensions of epidermal cells) emerge in this zone (Root hair video)
Up to ~40,000 per cm2
Life span of several days to weeks
Single rye plant could have14 billion root hairs with surface area ~1/2 hectare
Tissues Regions in a Root
Cortex
Parenchyma cells that function
in food storage
Endodermis: inner boundary
layer of cortex
Casparian Strips:
A band of waterproof material
around the cells of the
endodermis
Ensures that water and
minerals enter the xylem only
by passing through the
Function of Casparian Strip
Function of Casparian Strip
Animation:
[Link]
Tissues Regions in a Root: Vascular
Cylinder
Vascular Cylinder
Primarily conduct water (xylem) and phloem
(food)
Pericycle
Liesdirectly against the inner boundary of the
endodermis
Retains meristematic (i.e. cell division) capability
Produces branch/lateral roots
Tissue Regions in a Root: Vascular
Cylinder
Cortex cells
filled with
amyloplasts
Endodermis
cell
Pericycle cell
Phloem cell
Xylem vessel
elements
Intercellular
space
Tissue Regions in a Root:
Pericycle
Tissue Regions in a Root
Dicot roots
A single, X-shaped mass
of xylem at the centre,
with phloem between the
arms of the X
Monocot roots
Phloem and xylem
alternate like the spokes
of a wheel
Dicot vs. Monocot Roots
Tissue Regions in a Root
Review: McGraw-Hill Animation
Specialized Roots
Food Storage Roots
Most roots and stems
store some food, others
store large quantities of
carbs (e.g. starch)
Sweet potatoes, beets,
turnips, etc.
Water Storage Roots
Environmental adaptation
in areas where no rainfall
for months
60 – 160 pounds
Specialized Roots
Propagative Roots
Adventitious buds (buds in areas
other than stems) develop along
near-surface roots and turn into
suckers
Fruit trees (e.g. cherry, pears), weeds
Pneumatophores
A specialized aerial root produced by
certain trees living in swamp habitats
Facilitates gas exchange between the
atmosphere and submerged roots
Specialized Roots
Aerial Roots
Velamen roots of
orchids
Absorb
atmospheric water
and nutrients
Prop roots of corn
Adventitious roots
of ivies (e.g.
Virginia creeper)
Specialized Roots
Contractile
Roots
Pull plant
deeper into
soil to an
optimum
depth
Specialized Roots
Buttress Roots
Shallow or muddy soils in
tropics
Parasitic Roots (e.g. dwarf
mistletoe)
Have no chlorophyll and are
dependent on chlorophyll-
bearing plants for nutrition
Dwarf Misteltoe
In eastern Canada the Eastern
Spruce dwarf mistletoe
(Arceuthobium pusillum)
grows on black spruce, white
spruce and sometimes
tamarack
In western Canada, Lodgepole
pine dwarf mistletoe
(Arceuthobium americanum
Nutt.) grows on lodgepole and
jack pines
Mycorrhizae
Mycorrhizae = “fungus root”
Over 75% of plant species
have various fungi associated
with their roots
Mutalistic association with a
fungus
Plant receives phosphorus that
is absorbed and stored by the
fungus from the soil (plants
alone have a difficult time
absorbing phosphorus)
Fungus receives sugars and
amino acids from the plant
Root Nodules
Occur in Legume family (i.e. peas, beans)
Rhizobium bacteria live in the nodules
Nitrogen fixation occurs in the root nodules
Atmospheric nitrogen (N2) is unavailable to plants because
of a triple-bond holding the two N atoms together
Bacteria convert atmospheric nitrogen into ammonium NH 4
Human Relevance of Roots
Cultivated biennial root crops:
Beets, turnips, carrots, parsnip
Sweet potatoes
Cassava (tapioca)
Major carbohydrate source in tropical
regions
Spices (e.g. sassafras, licorice)
Drugs
Resperine (dried Indian snakeroot)
Tranquilizer
Antihypertensive (high blood pressure)
Soils
Stern pages 77-81
Misc.
Reading: Stern Chapter 5
QUIZ THIS WEEK IN LAB
Chapters 1, 2, 3, 4
Overview of plant biology
Nature of life and chemicals
Cell structures, functions, (basic) mitosis
Tissues – meristematic tissue, simple & complex tissues
Terms
Taproot Pericycle
Fibrous root Lateral roots
Radicle Dicot vs. Monocot roots
Root cap Food storage roots
Region of cell division
Water storage roots
Region of cell elongation
Region of maturation
Propagative roots
Gravitropism
Pneumatophores
Root hairs Aerial roots
Cortex Velamen roots
Endodermis Prop roots
Casparian strips Adventitious roots
Apoplastic pathway Contractile roots
Symplastic pathway Buttress roots
Transmembrane pathway
Parasitic roots
Plasmodesma
Vascular cylinder
Mycorrhizae
Root nodules