Explaining How Substances Are Transported In The Xylem And Phloem

Introduction:
Previously, you learnt about the structural and functional differences between xylem and phloem. In this lesson,
you will learn about transportation of substances in xylem and phloem.

Water moves through the xylem vessels in a continuous transpiration stream

Explanation:

How substances are transported

There are two groups of substances that are transported in plants. Those from the soil include water and mineral
salts. You will learn about how these substances under transpiration later in this unit. Substances from the leaves
are transported or translocated.

Substances are transported from the leaves to stems or roots under the influence of energy which is produced in
mitochondria of companion cells. The substances accumulate in the sieve tube of phloem. These substances get
water from nearby cells thereby increasing the hydrostatic pressure of the substances. This results in movement
of the manufactured food substances from one sieve tube to another sieve tube through sieve pores of sieve plate.

The molecules of the substances stream over cytoplasmic filaments from one sieve tube to another in a process
called cytoplasmic streaming.

Cytoplasmic streaming depends on the use of energy.

In living organisms, substances move from one cell into another. Substances can enter the cell or come out.
Movement of these substances depend on the properties of the substance and size of the molecules.

What do you think are the ways or processes used for movement of substance from one region to another? You
are right if you think of osmosis, diffusion and active transport.

Diffusion

What do you think the word diffusion means?

When you drop a tea bag in a cup of warm or hot water, what do you observe after ten minutes? The colour of
water changes from clear to brown. The colour of tea spreads in water until there is equal or even distribution of
the tea molecules. Therefore, diffusion refers to the movement of molecules or particles from a region of higher
concentration to a region of lower concentration.

Activity 1

Explain factors that affect the rate of diffusion. Write down your answers.

Suggested answers to activity

Congratulation, if your answers are as follows:

1. Temperature

An increase in temperature of particles results in an increase in kinetic energy hence particles move faster. On the
other hand, when the temperature decreases, the kinetic energy of particles decreases, hence particles move
slowly. This eventually lowers the rate of diffusion.

2. Concentration of substances (concentration gradient)

When the concentration of one region is much higher than the other region, it creates a steep concentration
gradient hence the rate of diffusion is high and vice versa.

In short, the rate of diffusion largely depends on the difference in concentration. No diffusion can take place if the
concentration of two regions is the same (isotonic solutions).
 3. Size of particles

Small particles move faster hence diffuse easily than larger particles because they are light. They pass through air
or water easily. Small particles usually have a smaller density than larger particles.

4. Surface area to volume ratio

The higher the surface area to body volume ratio, the faster the rate of diffusion. Lower organisms such as micro-
organisms have higher surface area to volume ratio hence diffusion rate is faster, for example, in amoeba.

5. Surface area

When the surface area over which diffusion takes place is larger, the rate of diffusion is faster. For instance, lungs
have larger surface area due to numerous alveoli.

6. Distance (thickness of membranes and tissues)

The larger the distance over which diffusion takes place the slower the rate of diffusion .If the membrane for the
diffusion is thin then the rate of diffusion becomes high.

7. Medium of diffusion

The rate of diffusing particles depends on the medium or the nature of diffusing particles. Particles diffuse faster
through gases than through water.

Activity 2

Of what importance is the process of diffusion to plants? Write your answer in the space provided.

Suggested answer to activity 2

Compare your answer with the following:

Significance of diffusion

a) It helps in evaporation of water from the plant during transpiration. When water vapour is in higher
concentration in the air space in leaves than in the atmosphere, the water vapour evaporates.

b) It is involved in absorption and reabsorption of salt into the body. Salts found in food after digestion are
absorbed into blood stream and later enter body cells. On the other hand, in kidneys, blood is filtered to form
urine. Some salts filtered during urine formation are returned in blood stream using diffusion.

c) It is involved in movement of gases into and out of the plant cells.

During the day more carbon dioxide enters the leaf than at night based on concentration gradient.

Osmosis

For you to understand the meaning of osmosis, consider the following activities:

Wash rice and put 50g of it into each washed tumbler.

Then add water to each tumbler.

Put 100g of sugar into one tumbler and allow it to stand for 20 minutes.

Which rice would be ready to eat after 20 minutes? It is the rice in water without sugar. Water gets into the rice
quickly hence ready for consumption.

If you cut two pieces of Irish potatoes and put one in salt solution and another one in distilled water after at least
15 minutes some changes are observed. What do you think are some of the results that can be observed? The
piece in salt solution becomes more flexible and later it shrinks while the potato in distilled water becomes
turgid or not flexible and elongates since it absorbs water. Study figure 3.12 which illustrates the osmosis process
in an Irish potato.
Osmosis on Irish Potato

Whatever you observe on Irish potatoes or rice is about osmosis. Now define osmosis? Osmosis is the movement
of water molecules from the region of water concentration to the region of low water concentration through a
semi-permeable membrane. Osmosis is a special form of diffusion. Osmosis is the movement of solvent (usually
water) molecules from a dilute to a concentrated solution across a permeable or semi permeable membrane.

A dilute (hypotonic) solution have relatively more water molecues than a concentrated (hypertonic) solution

Dilute solution therefore has higher water potential than the concentrated solution.

Osmotic potential is the ability of a solution to except osmotic pressure or it is the ability of a solution to pull water
to itself.

Osmotic pressure is the force exerted by a solution that makes water to be pulled into it. We can also define
osmosis as the movement of water molecules form a region of high water potential to a region of low water
potential through a semi-permeable (partially permeable) membrane.

Activity 3

Describe factors affecting rate of osmosis. Write down your answers.

Suggested answers to activity 3

Compare your answer with the following:

Factors affecting rate of osmosis

1. Temperature

When the temperature of the solutions separated by the membrane is high, the rate of osmosis is also high. This is
because when temperature increases, the kinetic energy of water molecules also increases. However when the
temperature is too high the semi-permeable membrane is destroyed hence no osmosis takes place.

2. Diffusion pressure deficit

The rate of osmosis is high when there is a high difference in osmotic pressure of the two solutions on either side
of a partially permeable membrane.

3. The type of semi permeable membrane

Rate of diffusion is high when the number of pores on the semi-permeable is large.

Activity 4

What is the importance of osmosis in plants? Write down your answers.

Suggested answers to activity 4

Compare your answer with the following:

Importance of osmosis in plants

a) It leads to development of turgor pressure within cells which gives them turgidity. Cell turgidity enhances
physical support of the plant against gravity.

b) It helps in the uptake of water by plants

i) Terrestrial plants get water through roots from the soil

ii) Floating and immersed aquatic plants take up water directly into leaves and stems.

Note: When water continues to enter a plant cell it becomes turgid. When water continues to enter an animal cell
like a red blood cell it breaks. Loss of water from a cell makes it become flaccid as it shrinks.

Activity 5

In what ways is osmosis important? Write you down your answers.

Suggested answers to activity 5

Compare your answer with the following significance of osmosis:

a) Guard cells obtain loss of water by osmosis to enhance opening or closing of the stomata.

b) It helps plants to absorb water into roots.

c) It brings about turgidity. Plant cells obtain water by osmosis to become turgid.

Active transport

We have learnt about osmosis and diffusion. Both of them are passive transports. Why is that so? They do not
require the use of energy. Particles, both in osmosis and diffusion, move down or along the concentration
gradient. This means that particles move from an area of high concentration to an area of low concentration.

What do you understand by active transport? Do you know that the opposite of the word passive is active?

Active transport is the movement of molecules or ions from a region of low concentration to a region of high
concentration across a living membrane. This involves the movement of molecules or ions against concentration
gradient using energy.

Active transport

Activity 6

What is the significance active transport?

Write down your answers.

Suggested answers to activity 6

Compare your answer with the following:

Significance of active transport

a) Transportation of manufactured food

Food made in leaves in the process of photosynthesis is transported to different parts of the plant in the process
called translocation.

Translocation depends on energy hence uses active transportation.

b) Active uptake of mineral salts

Although the cell sap of root hairs have high concentration, they take up mineral salts such as magnesium,
phosphorus, nitrate and potassium from the dilute solution of soil water.

a. Storage of substances

Substances are transported to storage organs such as roots, stem tubers, seeds and fruits for storage. For instance,
starches are stored in roots, sucrose in stems.

Activity 7

Describe factors that affect rate of active transport.

Write down your answers.

Suggested answers to activity 7

Compare your answers with the following:

Factors affecting active transport

a) Concentration gradient

The higher the concentration gradient, the faster the rate of active transport

b) Availability of oxygen and energy

Active transport depends on energy that is produced in the process of respiration using oxygen

c) Optimum temperature range

Active transport is fastest with an optimum temperature range.

Active transport is slow when temperature is too high or too low.

Study the following image

This is an image showing transportation of

substances in xylem and phloem.

 Reuse

Click the white button to watch.

Science - Transportation in plants -xylem, phloem, transpiration pull - English

This is a video explaining how substances are

transported in the xylem and phloem.

Please take the following quiz:

Which vascular tissue does the following.

a) transport water

b) transports mineral salts

c) transports glucose.

There are two groups of substances that are transported in plants. Those from the soil include
water and mineral salts. You will learn about how these substances under transpiration later
in this unit. Substances from the leaves are transported or translocated.

Substances are transported from the leaves to stems or roots under the influence of energy
which is produced in mitochondria of companion cells. The substances accumulate in the sieve
tube of phloem. These substances get water from nearby cells thereby increasing the
hydrostatic pressure of the substances. This results in movement of the manufactured food
substances from one sieve tube to another sieve tube through sieve pores of sieve plate.

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References and Attributions

Transportation Creator, SYear created, Transportation in plants , 9 February, 2022, <https://youtu.be/rNG5ODvQj9Y>.

Chimocha . and Lungu S. B. (2017). Achievrs senior secondary biology, book 3. East African Educational Publishers Ltd,. Nairobi, Kenya.

Chimotha, S. et-al (2018). Achievers senior secondary biology, book 3. Masar Printing and Publishing, Nairobi, Kenya.

Darwin A. (2004). Focus on ‘O’ level biology, students’ book. Ort Enterprises College Press.

Jones, M. (2009). IGCSE biology. Pearson, Edinburgh.

Mackean, D.G. (1984). Introduction to biology, 3rd Topical Edition. John Murray, London.

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