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.
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.
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.
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
Equipment
Optional: dyed celery stems.
Licence
This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2024), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0 except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).
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
