Transport in Plants - Xylem and Phloem

Learning objectives:
❏ Understand how water is absorbed by root hair cells
❏ Describe the role of xylem in the transport of water and minerals.
❏ Describe the role of phloem in the transport of food in plants

Vascular Bundles
Xylem Phloem
Unidirectional transport Bidirectional transportation

transports water and dissolved minerals transports sucrose and amino acids

Xylem vessels have thick cellulose cell Phloem is made of columns of living
walls, strengthened by lignin. The inside cells.
of the cell is hollow.

They have a hollow central space called Sieve tubes - specialised for transport
lumen and have no nuclei.

No end walls , it is a dead cell. It has metabolism and a cytoplasm and

No organelles or cytoplasm. has companion cells and cell organelles.
Sieve tubes, pores and plates.

Transpiration Process Translocation Process

Up from roots to leaves, physical Up and downwards, energy needed

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 Transport in Plants - Xylem and Phloem

Plants need water for:

● It is a reactant of photosynthesis
● Solvent for minerals ions to be transported around the plant
● Turgor- to keep the plant supported
● To keep the plant cool by evaporation
● Significant component of cytoplasm – site of many chemical reactions

Absorption of Water by Root Hair Cells:

Key Terms:
- Transpiration stream: the pathway that water travels through from the
roots to the leaf
- Transpiration pull: the force that pulls up this water from the water to
the leaves, without pull there would be no transpiration stream. (The
force exerted by the leaves for process of evaporation)
- Root Cortex Cells
- Adhesion: the connective forces between the water and the walls
- Cohesion: the connective force between the water molecules.

Adaptations of root hair cells:

- Thin permeable walls so there is a short diffusion path to make it
easier for water to pass through.
- Large surface area to maximise water absorption.

Exam Question- Water Pathway in Plants:

1. Water from the soil enters the plant through the root hair cells by
osmosis. (high water potential in soil and low in plants/leaves)
2. Water from the root hair cell moves into the root cortex cells by
osmosis. The water concentration in the root cortex cell must be
lower than that of the root hair cell since water enters by osmosis
(high water concentration 🡪 low water concentration)
3. Water from the root cortex cell moves into the xylem cells by
osmosis. Water moves up the xylem towards the leaves via the
transpiration stream.
4. Water moves from the xylem cells into the mesophyll cells (palisade
and spongy) by osmosis.

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 Transport in Plants - Xylem and Phloem

Some of the water is then used in photosynthesis. Some of it will evaporate

from the mesophyll cells and exit the leaf by diffusion through the stomata.

Translocation is the movement of sucrose and

amino acids in phloem from regions of
production (leaves) to regions of storage or use
in respiration or growth.

Transpiration is the loss of water from the

leaves by evaporation through the stomata.
Without transpiration no movement of water
from the soil, always in leaves there should be
water potential.
Water is first absorbed by the roots, then passes
up through stem and leaves in xylem and then lost
from leaves through stomata.

Ascent of Sap is the upward

movement of water and mineral
salts from roots upwards to the
leaves and other parts. It is called
sap as it contains many dissolved
minerals. Carried in xylem. The
forces involved are Capillary force,
Root pressure and the
Transpirational pull

Xylem and phloem make up the transport system

of plants. They are grouped together in areas
called vascular bundles
In cross-section diagrams: xylem is always towards the
inside and phloem is outside

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 Transport in Plants - Xylem and Phloem

Factors which affect the rate of transpiration:

​ Humidity: when the air around the plant is humid, this reduces the
diffusion gradient between the air spaces in the leaf and the external air,
the rate of transpiration therefore decreases in humid air and speeds up in
dry air.
​
​ Wind speed: the rate of transpiration increases with faster air movements
across the surface of the leaf. The moving air removes any water vapour
which might remain near the stomata. Increasing air movement removes
water vapour from leaf surfaces; more water diffuses from the leaf
because a high concentration gradient is maintained.
​
​ Temperature: High temperatures increase the rate of transpiration, by
increasing the rate of evaporation of water from the mesophyll cells.
Increasing temperature increases the molecular movement so that more
water molecules evaporate from cell surfaces; the rate of diffusion of
water molecules from the leaf is increased.
​
​ Light intensity: the rate of transpiration increases in the light because of
the opening of the stomata in the leaves, so that the leaf can
photosynthesize. Increasing light intensity increases the rate of
photosynthesis; stomata open so that water diffuses out of the leaf faster
so more transpiration.
​ How to test for each factor:f
​ Airflow: Set up a fan or hairdryer
​ Humidity: Spray water in a plastic bag and wrap around the plant
​ Light intensity: Change the distance of a light source from the plant
​ Temperature: Temperature of room (cold room or warm room)
​
​
When.. Rate of transpiration

Temperature Increases Increases

Light intensity Increases Increases

Wind Speed Increases Increases

Humidity Decreases Increases

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 Transport in Plants - Xylem and Phloem

Xylem and Phloem Dicot Cells Diagram

Within the plant stem, xylem

vessels are found right on the
inside. Phloem tissue is located in
the middle of the vascular bundle.
Xylem found in the inside and
phloem are found on the outside.

In the root, the xylem forms a

cross-like structure in the centre
which is surrounded by phloem
vessels. This arrangement adds
strength to the root as it pushed
through the soil.

Within the leaf, the xylem

vessels are found towards the
top of the vascular bundle with
the phloem vessels found
underneath.

Benefits of Transpiration:
● Provides the water for photosynthesis
● Transports mineral ions
● Cools the leaf as water evaporates
● Provides water that keeps the cells turgid which supports the plant

What conditions will decrease the rate of transpiration

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 Transport in Plants - Xylem and Phloem

- A decrease in temperature, increase in humidity, no or reduced air

movement and low light intensity.

Transpiration Stream: Transpiration causes water to be ‘pulled up’ the

xylem in the stem and roots in a continuous flow known as transpiration
stream. There are multiple other functions for transpiration stream:

- It carries mineral ions dissolved in water

- Supplies water for the leaf for photosynthesis
- Provides water to keep the plants turgid
- Allows evaporation from the leaf surface, which cools the leaf.

Transpiration starts with the evaporation of water from palisade cells inside
the leaf and and the water vapor then diffuses through the air spaces in the
spongy mesophyll and out of the leaf through the stomata. Water then
passes from the xylem into the leaf by osmosis (high to low water potential) to
replace the water that's being lost and finally water is drawn into the root hair
cells and up the xylem vessels to the leaf.
This entire path is known as the transpiration stream.

The Role of Stomata in Transpiration:

The stomata control gas

exchange in the leaf. Each
stoma can be open or
closed depending on how
turgid its guard cells are.
Stomata open and close to:
- regulate transpiration
- allow gas exchange

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 Transport in Plants - Xylem and Phloem

The Stomata can open and close. Guard cells that surround each stomata have
a kidney shape, part of their cell wall nearest the stomata is thick.

Stomata Opening Stomata Closing

In the light, water enters the guard cells In the dark, the guard cells lose water
by osmosis from the surrounding again, they become flaccid and close
epidermal cells. This causes the guard to the stomata to reduce transpiration
cells to become turgid, and swell up. They rate because plants do not
bent outwards, opening up the stomata. photosynthesize at night.

Water leaves and enters

guard cells through the
process of osmosis.

When water enters the

guard cell it becomes
turgid and opens

When water leaves the

cell, it becomes flaccid
and closes.

“when guard cells are

turgid they open”

“The stomata are mostly located on the bottom of the leaf and are made up
of the stoma and two guard cells that cause the stomata to open or close”

Transpiration can be controlled by

opening and closing stomata
- High CO2 concentrations cause
stomata to close (i.e. at night)
- Low CO2 concentrations cause
stomata to open (i.e. during light)

Cohesion-Tension Transport Model:

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 Transport in Plants - Xylem and Phloem

Water is sometimes transported up to great heights in very tall trees therefore osmosis
and root pressure cannot possibly account for this, as water will only travel a few metres
by root pressure.

Other factors that contribute to the height water can travels up xylem tissue are:
- Transpiration from the foliage of the plant
- Cohesion of the water molecules (hydrogen bonding)
- Adhesion of the water molecules to the sides of the xylem vessels and tracheids

Dissecting Plant Stems:

- Cut a thin section of the plant stem using a scalpel. Take care when using
the sample and remember to cut away from you.
- Place the tissue sample into
water to prevent it from
drying out.
- Place the tissue sample into
a small dish containing the
stain. A common stain that
is used to view vascular
bundles is toluidine blue O
(TBO) which stains lignin
blue/green which will
enable you to visualise the xylem and sclerenchyma fibres. The phloem
cells and remaining tissue will appear a pink/purple colour.
- Rinse the tissue samples in water and place each one onto a microscope
slide.

Xerophytic plants: plants that have specific adaptations:

❏ Cactus
❏ Pineapple
❏ Aloe vera

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 Transport in Plants - Xylem and Phloem

The rate of transpiration can be investigated by measuring the decrease in

mass due to water loss, or by measuring the volume of water
absorbed.Environmental factors can be investigated in the following ways:

Practical: investigate the role of environmental factors in determining the rate of

transpiration from a leafy shoot:

Rate of water loss: distance/time

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 Transport in Plants - Xylem and Phloem

Environmental factors can be investigated in the following ways:

● Temperature : Temperature of room (cold room and warm room)

● Humidity : Spray water in plastic bag and wrap around plant
● Wind : Distance of fan to plant / different speeds of fan
● Light intensity : Distance of lamp to plant

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