These notes for CBSE Class 11 Biology, Chapter 11, "Transport in Plants," cover essential concepts related to how plants move substances. It explains translocation, the long-distance transport through xylem and phloem. The document details various means of transport: diffusion, facilitated diffusion, and active transport, highlighting their characteristics and energy requirements. Key terms like water potential, solute potential, and pressure potential are defined, along with osmosis and plasmolysis. The role of the Casparian strip in regulating water movement is discussed. Imbibition, the absorption of water by solid particles, is illustrated with examples. Mass flow, driven by pressure differences, is also explained. The notes elaborate on the transport of water in plants via apoplast and symplast pathways, the cohesion-tension-transpiration pull model, root pressure, guttation, and transpiration. These notes are designed to aid students in understanding and revising the chapter effectively for their exams.
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Translocation : Transport of substances in plants over longer distances
through the vascular tissue (Xylem and Phloem) is called translocation.
Means of transport : The transport of material into and out of the cells is
carried out by a number of methods. These are diffusion, faciliated diffusion and
active transport.
Diffusion : Diffusion occurs from region of higher concentration to region
of lower concentration across the permeable membrane. It is passive and slow
process. No energy expenditure takes place.
Facilitated diffusion : The diffusion of hydrophilic substances along the
concentration gradient through fixed membrane transport protein without involving
energy
expenditure is called facilitated diffusion. For this the membrane
possess
aquarporins and ion channels. No energy
is utilized in this process.
Active transport : Active transport is carried by the movable carrier proteins
(pumps) of membrane. Active transport uses energy
to pump molecules
against a concentration gradient from a low concentration to high concentration
(uphill-transport). It is faster than passive transport.
Water potential : The chemical potential of water is called water potential.
It is denoted by ?
(Psi) and measured in pascals (Pa). The water potential of a
cell is affected by solute potential (? W s
) and pressure potential (? ). ? W = ? s + ? p Water potential of pure water at standard temperature which is not under
any pressure is taken to be zero (by convention). p
Osmosis is movement of solvent or water molecules from the region of their higher diffusion pressure or free energy to the region of their lower diffusion pressure or free energy across a semi-permeable membrane. Water molecules move from higher water potential to lower water potential until equilibrium is reached. Plasmolysis : Process of shrinkage of protoplasm in a cell due to exosmosis in hypertonic solution.
It is the tangential as well as radial walls of endodermal
cells having the deposition of water impermeable suberin.
Imbibition : Imbibition is the phenonmenon of adsorption of water or any
other liquid by the solid particles of a substance without forming a solution.
Some examples of Imbibition :
(i) If a dry piece of wood is placed in water, it swells and increases in its
volume.
(ii) If dry gum or pieces of agar-agar are placed in water, they swell and
their volume increases.
(iii) When seeds are placed in water they swell up.
Mass flow : Mass flow is the movement of substances (water, minerals and
food) in bulk from one point to another as a result of pressure differences between
two points.
Transport of water in plants : Water is absorbed by root hairs, then water
moves upto xylem by two pathways ? apoplast and symplast pathway.
The transport of water to the tops of trees occurs through xylem vessels.
The forces of adhesion and cohesion maintain a thin and unbroken columns of
water in the capillaries of xylem vessels through which it travesl upward. Water
is mainly pulled by transpiration from leaves.
(Cohesion-tension-transpiration pull Model)
Root pressure : A hydrostatic pressure existing in roots which pushes the
water up in xylem vessels.
Guttation : The water loss in its liquid phase at night and early morning
through special openings of vein near the tip of leaves.
Transpiration : The loss of water through stomata of leaves and other aerial
parts of plants in form of water vapour.
Osomosis : Osmosis is movement of solvent or water molecules from the
region of their higher diffusion pressure or free energy to the region of their
lower diffusion pressure or free energy across a semi-permeable membrane.
Water molecules move from higher water potential to lower water potential
until equilibrium is reached.
Plasmolysis : Process of shrinkage of protoplasm in a cell due to exosmosis
in hypertonic solution.
Casparian strip : It is the tangential as well as radial walls of endodermal
cells having the deposition of water impermeable suberin.
Imbibition : Imbibition is the phenonmenon of adsorption of water or any
other liquid by the solid particles of a substance without forming a solution.
Some examples of Imbibition :
(i) If a dry piece of wood is placed in water, it swells and increases in its
volume.
(ii) If dry gum or pieces of agar-agar are placed in water, they swell and
their volume increases.
(iii) When seeds are placed in water they swell up.
Mass flow : Mass flow is the movement of substances (water, minerals and
food) in bulk from one point to another as a result of pressure differences between
two points.
Transport of water in plants : Water is absorbed by root hairs, then water
moves upto xylem by two pathways ? apoplast and symplast pathway.
The transport of water to the tops of trees occurs through xylem vessels.
The forces of adhesion and cohesion maintain a thin and unbroken columns of
water in the capillaries of xylem vessels through which it travesl upward. Water
is mainly pulled by transpiration from leaves.
(Cohesion-tension-transpiration pull Model)
Root pressure : A hydrostatic pressure existing in roots which pushes the
water up in xylem vessels.
Guttation : The water loss in its liquid phase at night and early morning
through special openings of vein near the tip of leaves.
Transpiration : The loss of water through stomata of leaves and other aerial
parts of plants in form of water vapour.
Translocation is the transport of substances in plants over longer distances through the vascular tissues, xylem and phloem.
The means of transport are diffusion, facilitated diffusion, and active transport.
Water potential is the chemical potential of water, denoted by ?, and is affected by solute potential and pressure potential. The water potential of pure water is conventionally zero.
Osmosis is the movement of water molecules from a region of higher water potential to a region of lower water potential across a semi-permeable membrane.
Plasmolysis is the shrinkage of the protoplasm in a cell due to exosmosis when placed in a hypertonic solution.
Water is transported to the tops of trees through xylem vessels, primarily pulled by transpiration from the leaves, a process explained by the cohesion-tension-transpiration pull model.
Imbibition is the phenomenon where solid particles of a substance adsorb water or any other liquid without forming a solution, causing swelling.
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