8.

1 VASCULAR TISSUE
8.2 WATER UPTAKE
8.3 TRANSPIRATION
8.4 TRANSLOCATION

8.1 VASCULAR TISSUE

Functions
•Plants contain two types of transport vessel: Xylem vessels – transport water and minerals
(pronounced: zi-lem) from the roots to the stem and leaves
•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.
EXAM TIP
If you are asked to identify
the xylem or phloem in a
diagram showing a cross
section of a root, stem or
leaf just remember that
xylem is always on the inside
and phloem is always on the
outside.
 8.2 WATER UPTAKE 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

How the Large Surface

Area of Root Hair Cells is
Useful
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 of Water through Root to Leaf

• Osmosis causes water to pass into the root hair cells, through the root cortex and into the
xylem vessels:
• The pathway can be investigated by placing a plant (like celery) into a beaker of water that
has had a stain added to it (food colouring will work well)
• After a few hours, you can see the leaves of the celery turning the same colour as the dyed
water, proving that water is being taken up by the celery
• If a cross section of the celery is cut, only certain areas of the stalk is stained with the dye,
showing that the water is being carried in specific vessels through the stem – these are the
xylem vessels
8.3 TRANSPIRATION
What is 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: A substance called lignin is deposited in the cell walls
which causes the xylem cells to die
• 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
• 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: transporting mineral ions
• providing water to keep cells turgid in order to support the structure of the plant
• providing water to leaf cells for photosynthesis
• 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

How does Transpiration

Occur?
•Evaporation takes place
from the surfaces of spongy
mesophyll cells
•The many interconnecting
air spaces between these
cells and the stomata
creates a large surface area
•This means evaporation
can happen rapidly when
stomata are open
How is the Transpiration Stream Created?
•Water molecules are attracted to each other by cohesion – creating a continuous column of
water up the plant
•Water moves through the xylem vessels in a continuous transpiration stream from roots to
leaves via the stem
•Transpiration produces a tension or ‘pull’ on the water in the xylem vessels by the leaves
•As water molecules are held together by cohesive forces (each individual molecule ‘pulls’ on
the one below it), so water is pulled up through the plant
•If the rate of transpiration from the leaves increases, water molecules are pulled up the
xylem vessels quicker
 Wilting
• 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
Investigating Factors Affecting Transpiration
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 below 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 light intensity or wind speed or level of humidity 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)
• Humidity : Spray water in plastic bag
and wrap around plant
Temperature & Humidity on Transpiration Rate
8.4 TRANSLOCATION
Transport of Food
• 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 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 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