Transport systems in plants: xylem and transpiration
I can explain how water and mineral ions are transported through xylem by transpiration.
Transport systems in plants: xylem and transpiration
I can explain how water and mineral ions are transported through xylem by transpiration.
These resources will be removed by end of Summer Term 2025.
Lesson details
Key learning points
- Water and mineral ions are transported from the roots, up the stem, to the leaves, in vessels made of xylem.
- Xylem is made of dead, empty cells with no cytoplasm, that form a tube with a tough wall made of lignin.
- Water is continually lost from the surface of a plant when water molecules diffuse into the air through open stomata.
- Water is pulled up through xylem tubes to replace the water lost through open stomata; this process is transpiration.
- The water that is pulled through xylem tubes has mineral ions dissolved in it, including nitrate ions.
Keywords
Mineral ions - substances that are essential for healthy plant growth, including nitrates and magnesium
Xylem - specialised vessels in plants that transport water and mineral ions
Stomata - pores in the leaf through which water, oxygen and carbon dioxide can diffuse
Transpiration - the loss of water from a plant’s leaves
Transpiration stream - the continuous movement of water from the roots to the leaves through the xylem
Common misconception
If students fail to understand that water only enters the plant at the roots, and not through the leaves, then the process of transpiration will be very muddled and confused.
The lesson reinforces the pathway that water takes through the plant, clearly stating that water enters at the roots, and showing several times how it moves up through xylem.
To help you plan your year 11 biology lesson on: Transport systems in plants: xylem and transpiration, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your year 11 biology lesson on: Transport systems in plants: xylem and transpiration, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs.
The starter quiz will activate and check your pupils' prior knowledge, with versions available both with and without answers in PDF format.
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The assessment exit quiz will test your pupils' understanding of the key learning points.
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Explore more key stage 4 biology lessons from the Transport and exchange surfaces in plants unit, dive into the full secondary biology curriculum, or learn more about lesson planning.
Equipment
Optional: dyed celery stems.
Licence
Lesson video
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Starter quiz
6 Questions
absorb water and minerals from the soil
transport water and minerals from the root to the rest of the plant
pores that open to allow gasses to move in and out of leaves
Exit quiz
6 Questions
provides a large surface area for the absorption of water and minerals
a tissue in plants that transports water and mineral ions
open and close to enable gas exchange and control water loss
loss of water from the leaves of plants
movement of water from the roots to the leaves of plants
substances needed to make proteins and chlorophyll
plant cells lacking enough water to make them firm
plant cells full of water making them swell and become firm
