Transpiration

The 3 systems of a plant

Root system, Shoot system, Reproductive system

Root System

Anchors plant in soil and absorbs water and nutrients from the soil

Shoot system

Made of stems, flowers, seeds, fruit and buds

Vascular system

Transports water, nutrients, sugars and proteins throughout the plants

Another name for Vascular system

Vascular bundle

Xylem

Transports WATER and dissolves minerals from roots to leaves

Phloem

Transports FOOD (Sugars) made in leaves to all other parts of the plant

Cuticle

The waxy coating that protects the leaf

Epidermis layer

The transparent layer that allows light to pass through to the mesophyll

Spongy mesophyll

Irregularly shaped, loosely packed cells where photosynthesis occurs

Transpiration

The movement of water up the plant and the eventual loss of water vapour from plant tissues through stomata

Guard cells

Special epidermal cells that swell and collapse, opening and closing pores in the leaf

Palisade Mesophyll

Rectangular shaped, tightly packed cels where photosynthesis occurs

Stomata

Openings on the surface of the leaf that allow gas exchange

Where does majority of photosynthesis take place and why

In the mesophyll because it contains most amount of chloroplasts and has space for air pockets/gas exchange

Explain how stomata open

Stomata open after they have just been watered because they are in a hypotonic solution.water moves into the guard cells through osmosis. The vacuoles fill with water increasing the plants turgor pressure. The guard cells then swell and look like jelly beans. This creates a pore between the two cells and the stomata open.

Explain how stomata close

When a plant is dry it needs to preserve the water . The guard cells are in a hypertonic solution so the water moves out of the cell though osmosis. The vacuoles empty losing turgor pressure. The guard cells become limp, collapse and rest against each other closing the stomata.

Why is the opening and closing of stomata so important

Opening lets CO2 in but also water loss. When stomata are closed prevents water loss but CO2 can’t enter. So the opening and closing allow the plant to maintain homeostasis

What are stomata

Pores in the epidermis of the leaf. They allow Co2 from the atmosphere enter the plant and water vapour to escape from the pores

Where are most stomata located

In the lower epidermis because this reduces water loss because lower the surface receives less solar radiation from the upper surface.