LectureTopic23-PlantTransport-I

Transport in Plants

The system by which plants gather and conserve resources from their environment.

Xylem

Tissue in vascular plants that conducts water and dissolved nutrients upward from the roots.

Phloem

Vascular tissue in plants responsible for the transport of nutrients and the products of photosynthesis.

Leaf Area Index (LAI)

A measure of leaf area relative to the ground area, indicating the canopy cover of plants.

Osmosis

The diffusion of water across a selectively permeable membrane.

Water Potential (Ψ)

A measure that combines the effects of solute concentration and pressure, determining water movement direction.

Turgor Pressure

The pressure exerted by the plasma membrane against the cell wall, important for maintaining plant structure.

Proton Pump

A transport protein that moves protons across the plasma membrane, creating a gradient used for active transport.

Cotransport

The coupled transport of one substance against its concentration gradient while another moves down its gradient.

Plasmolysis

The process in which a plant cell loses water, causing the protoplast to shrink away from the cell wall.

Symplastic Route

The pathway in plants where water and minerals move through the cytoplasm of cells.

Apoplastic Route

The pathway in plants where water and minerals move through the cell walls and extracellular spaces.

Transpiration

The process by which water is absorbed by plant roots, moves through plants, and is evaporated into the atmosphere.

Canopy Structure

The arrangement of leaves in a plant which can affect light capture and photosynthesis.

Casparian Strip

A waxy barrier in the endodermis preventing apoplastic transfer of minerals, forcing them into symplastic movement.