4.

1 Plants and water

9/18/2023 Plants and water 1

9/18/2023 Plants and water 2
• Water as a Solvent
• Water as a
Temperature Buffer
• Water as a Metabolite
• Water as Living
Environment
Water as a Solvent
Water attracts both positive and negative ions, because of the nature of the chemical bonds in
water. Thus, positive ions are attracted to the oxygen in water, while negative ions are attracted to
the hydrogen. This allows water to dissolve compounds important for survival, such as glucose
gleaned from ingesting food.
Water as a Temperature Buffer
Water has a high specific heat capacity, meaning it takes a lot of heat to raise its temperature. Thus,
water absorbs much heat without the temperature of the organism being raised. This prevents
enzymes from becoming overheated and failing to function.
Water as a Metabolite
The sum total of chemical reactions within an organism is called metabolism. Water is a
metabolite, or a chemical involved in reactions. In this way, it is is necessary for the continued
survival of both plants and animals.
In plants, water aids in photosynthesis. During the process, water splits into hydrogen and oxygen
atoms. Oxygen is released into the atmosphere, while hydrogen is used in the rest of the chemical
reaction to produce glucose to feed the plant.
Water as Living Environment
Water-based organisms such as fish require water to breathe, directly breathing the oxygen
dissolved in water. Without a water supply, they could not access oxygen and would suffocate.
9/18/2023 Plants and water 4
 GERMINATING
RADISH SEED

9/18/2023 Plants and water 5

FUNCTIONS OF ROOTS
Anchoring: Roots are the reason plants remain attached to the ground. They
support the plant body, ensuring that it stands erect.
Absorption: Primary function of the roots is to absorb water and dissolved
minerals from the soil. This is crucial as it helps in the process of
photosynthesis.
Storage: Plants prepare food and store in the form of starch in the leaves,
shoots and roots. Prominent examples include carrots, radish, beetroot, etc.
Prevention of Soil Erosion: Roots hold the soil particles firmly to prevent soil
erosion.
Transport: They take part in transport of absorbed water and minerals to
shoot system.

9/18/2023 Plants and water 6

 ROOT HAIRS
• specialised cells in the outer layer of a plant root
• increase the surface area through which water
and mineral ions can be absorbed from the soil

9/18/2023 Plants and water 7

HOW ROOT HAIRS ABSORB WATER
• Plants, like all living things, are made mostly of water. Plants need
to absorb water almost all of the time. They do this through their
roots. The roots absorb water from the soil.
• Soil is made up of tiny particles of rock. There are spaces between
them, which are filled with air and water.
• Root hairs grow out of the surface of roots. Root hair cells provide a
really big surface through which water and mineral ions can be
absorbed into the plant.

9/18/2023 Plants and water 8

HOW ROOT HAIRS ABSORB WATER
• This diagram shows a root hair growing
in between soil particles. Each root hair
is part of a single cell.
• Water moves into the root hair cell from
the soil. It passes through the cell wall
and the cell membrane of the cell, and
into the cytoplasm.
• Mineral ions including nitrate ions and
magnesium ions are dissolved in the
water between the soil particles, and
they move into the root hair cell along
with the water

9/18/2023 Plants and water 9

QUESTIONS
1 Root hair cells are different from other plant cells. Describe how the
structure of a root hair cell helps it to carry out its function.
• The long extension from the cell increases its surface area. This
increases the surface across which it can take up water and
mineral salts, so this uptake happens faster.
2 Why do plants need nitrate ions and magnesium ions?
• Nitrate ions are needed to make proteins. Magnesium ions are
needed to make chlorophyll.

9/18/2023 Plants and water 10

 XYLEM VESSELS

• specialised cells in which all cell contents and

end walls have disappeared, leaving an empty
tube through which water is transported

9/18/2023 Plants and water 11

HOW WATER MOVES UP THE PLANT
• This diagram shows what a root looks
like if you cut it across.
• You can see the root hairs on the
outside of the root. In the centre, there
are some very special cells called xylem
vessels. These are the water transport
system of the plant.
• After water has been absorbed into a
root hair cell, it moves from the outside
of the root towards the inside. It goes
into the xylem vessels in the centre of
the root.

9/18/2023 Plants and water 12

HOW WATER MOVES UP THE PLANT
• Xylem vessels are long, tube-like cells.
• They are dead cells – all of their contents, such as cytoplasm and
a nucleus, have disappeared.
• All that is left is their cell walls, with an empty space inside. Their
end walls have completely disappeared, too.
• Many xylem vessels stack on top of one another, making long,
empty tubes that reach all the way from the roots, up to the
highest parts of the plant.

9/18/2023 Plants and water 13

 Xylem Phloem

Type of transport Passive process Requires energy

Products of photosynthesis, including

Substances transported Water and minerals
sugars and amino acids dissolved in water

9/18/2023 Plants and water 14

Direction of transport Upwards Upwards and downwards
HOW WATER MOVES UP THE PLANT
• The wood in a tree trunk is made up of xylem vessels. They carry
water from the roots all the way to the top of the tree.
• This photograph shows some xylem vessels. It has been taken
with a microscope. The actual diameter of a xylem vessel is only
about 0.05 mm – although, as you can see in the photograph,
they come in quite a range of different sizes.

9/18/2023 Plants and water 15

XYLEM IN ROOTS AND STEMS
• These two diagrams show the position of xylem in the roots (left)
and stems (right) of a plant.
• They are cross-sections – you are looking down on a cut surface
across a root and across a stem. The xylem vessels are shown in
red.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cuPUuvhOLi0&t=177s

9/18/2023 Plants and water 16

9/18/2023 Plants and water 17
9/18/2023 Plants and water 18
INVESTIGATING TRANSPORT IN A CELERY STALK

3. a To make sure that the coloured areas in the stalk had appeared
because dye had been carried up through the stalk, not leaked in
from the side.
b To remove any dye from the outside of the stalk, so we could be
sure that the coloured spots were caused only by dye that had been
carried up the stalk.
4. The water would move from the soil into the root hairs, then across
the root to its centre. There it would enter the xylem vessels, which
carry it up through the stalk.

9/18/2023 Plants and water 20

THINK LIKE A SCIENTIST: PLANNING AN EXPERIMENT

1. The water will move up faster, because higher temperatures give

more kinetic energy to particles.
2. As temperature increases, the speed at which water moves up the
stem increases.
3. The plan should include the idea of changing the temperature, and
measuring how fast the dye moves up the stem at different
temperatures.

9/18/2023 Plants and water 21

THINK LIKE A SCIENTIST: PLANNING AN EXPERIMENT

4. The apparatus may include a container, some coloured water,

several stalks, a timer and a ruler.
IV is temperature.
DV is the rate at which the coloured water moves up the stalk. This
involves measuring time and distance.
CV may include depth of coloured water, size of the stalk and light
intensity.
Risk assessment: Cutting the stalk carries a risk of harm from the
sharp blade. Cut on a firm, non-slip surface and move the blade away
from the body.

9/18/2023 Plants and water 22

EXERCISE 4.1A WATER UPTAKE BY ORANGE
PLANT SEEDLINGS
2. Variety A plants had more root hairs per plant (920 compared with
800, i.e., 120 more root hairs per plant).
The mean length of the root hairs was greater than variety B (0.03
compared with 0.02, i.e. 0.01 mm longer). The root hairs, therefore,
had a greater surface area, so they could take up more water.
3. It moves across to the centre of the root into the xylem vessels. It
then goes up the xylem into the leaves.

9/18/2023 Plants and water 23

EXERCISE 4.1C INTERPRETING DATA ABOUT
WATER UPTAKE
1. They want to be able to compare the ability of different varieties to
take up water.
The quantity of water taken up may also be affected by the size of the
plants, and the plants might be different sizes.
Calculating the volume taken up per gram makes it easier to compare
the varieties; it controls a variable (the mass of the plant) and makes
the comparison fair.

9/18/2023 Plants and water 24

EXERCISE 4.1C INTERPRETING DATA ABOUT
WATER UPTAKE
4. All the plants had taken up a greater volume of water after six
weeks. Now, instead of variety A taking up the most, it is variety C.
5. Variety C, because it takes up the most water over the longer
period. This suggests that it might grow better and faster than the
other varieties in the cold climate .

9/18/2023 Plants and water 25

Describe the pathway of water and mineral salts from the
roots to the leaves in flowering plants, including absorption
in root hair cells.

9/18/2023 Plants and water 26

THANK YOU

9/18/2023 Plants and water 27