BIOLOGY TRANSPORT IN PLANTS

Translocation, Symplastic and Apoplastic Pathways

Contents
Transport of Water and Soil Water Relations .............................................................................................. 3
Mechanism of Water Absorption ................................................................................................................. 6
Pathways of Water Movement in Roots ...................................................................................................... 8

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Transport of Water and Soil Water Relations

Bulk Flow System
 In large and complex organisms, the sites of production or absorption and the sites of storage are very
far from each other.
 In such cases, a special, long-distance transport system is essential so as to move substances over
long distances and at a much faster rate.
 Water, minerals and food are generally moved by a mass/bulk flow system.

 A mass flow or bulk flow system is responsible for the movement of substances in bulk or en mass
from the sites of production or adsorption to the sites of storage or consumption as a result of pressure
differences between the two sites.
 Bulk flow can be achieved through either a positive hydrostatic pressure gradient or a negative
hydrostatic pressure gradient.
 The bulk movement of substances through the conducting or vascular tissues of plants is called
translocation.

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 Xylem is associated with the translocation of mainly water, mineral salts, some organic nitrogen and
hormones, from the roots to the aerial parts of plants. The phloem translocates a variety of organic
and inorganic solutes, mainly from the leaves to the other parts of plants.
Soil Water Relation
 Soil plays an important role for water storage and a medium for root growth. It also acts as a reservoir
of mineral nutrients and provides anchorage for plants.
 Water is a universal component of soil present in traces to sufficient concentrations.
 The water present in soil is known as soil water, soil solution or the water relation of the soil.
 Various terms have been used for soil according to its availability and non-availability to plants.
 The total amount of water present in the soil is called holard.
 The amount of water available to plants is called chresard.
 The amount of water which cannot be absorbed by plants and exists as soil water is called echard.

We can identify five stages of water in the soil which differ in their availability
to plants. These include gravitational water, capillary water, hygroscopic water,
runoff water and chemically combined water.

Water-absorbing Structure
 The water-absorbing structure of the plant is the root hair zone.
 Root hair develop mainly at the tip just above the zone of elongation.

 A root hair is a unicellular tubular propagation of the outer wall of the epiblema.
 Root hair are about 10 μm in diameter.

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 The cell wall of root hair is composed of two distinct layers. The outer wall is made of pectin which
dissolves in water so that the root hair becomes slimy and sticky. The inner wall is made of cellulose.
 The osmotic pressure of root hair is higher (about 3–8 atm) as compared to that of soil solution (less
than 1 atm).
 During transplantation, the root hair are removed. That is why, the plant remains wilted in the new
habitat.
 Many forest trees, shrubs and some conifers have scanty root hair so as to form a symbiotic
association with the fungi called mycorrhiza.

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Mechanism of Water Absorption

 The absorption of water by plants is also known as water uptake.
 Kramer identified two distinct mechanisms which independently operate in the absorption of water in
plants. They are active absorption and passive absorption.

Mechanism of Water
Absorption

Active Absorption Passive Absorption

Active Absorption of Water

 In active absorption, roots, particularly root hair, are actively involved in the absorption of water.
 It involves an expenditure of metabolic energy which comes from the respiring cells of the roots.
 A very small amount of water (4%) is absorbed by the active mechanism of absorption.

Passive Absorption of Water

 In passive absorption, absorption of water occurs because of forces developed at the transpiring
surface of the plant.
 The cells of the root do not play any role, and hence, there is no consumption of energy.
 A large amount of water (96%) is absorbed by the passive mechanism of absorption.
 Passive absorption is the most common and a rapid method of water absorption.

Differences between Active Absorption and Passive Absorption

Active Absorption Passive Absorption

1. Forces for active absorption develop inside 1. Forces for passive absorption lie inside the
the root. shoot.
2. Osmotic pressure and energy play a major 2. Transpiration pull plays a major role in
role in active absorption. passive absorption.
3. A positive pressure is developed inside the 3. A negative pressure is developed inside the
xylem. xylem.
4. Rate of absorption is low. 4. Rate of absorption is high.
5. Accounts for only 4% of total water uptake. 5. Accounts for only 96% of total water uptake.
6. Active absorption occurs in slowly 6. Passive absorption occurs in rapidly
transpiring plants. transpiring plants.

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Factors Affecting Water Absorption

•Absorption of water is more if the amount of

Available soil water available water in soil is more.

•Absorption of water takes place rapidly in

Soil air well-aerated soil.

Concentration of soil •If the soil solution is highly concentrated, then

solution it will inhibit water absorption.

•An increase in soil temperature up to about

Soil temperature 30°C promotes water absorption.

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Pathways of Water Movement in Roots

 When water is absorbed by the root hair and other epidermal cells, it moves centripetally across the
cortex, endodermis, pericycle and finally enters the xylem.
 Water moves from cell to cell along the concentration gradient.

 Two possible pathways for the movement of water along the roots are the apoplast pathway and the
symplast pathway.

The terms apoplast and symplast were proposed by

Munch.

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Apoplast Pathway
 The apoplast system includes interconnecting cell walls, intercellular spaces, cell walls of endodermis
excluding Casparian strips, xylem tracheids and vessels.
 In the apoplast pathway, water moves from the root hair to the xylem through the walls of intervening
cells without crossing any membrane or cytoplasm. This movement of water occurs through bulk or
mass flow.
 In this way, the apoplast pathway does not provide any barrier to the movement of water.
 The apoplastic movement of water beyond the cortex is obstructed because of the presence of
casparian strips in the endodermal cells.
 The major movement of water through the cortical cells occurs by this method as the cortical cells offer
least resistance to the movement of water.
 The apoplast system is continuous throughout the plant.
 Because of the absence of living parts in this system, the water moves mainly due to capillary action
or free diffusion along the gradient.

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Symplast Pathway
 The symplast pathway includes the living parts of the plant made of interconnected protoplasts of
neighbouring cells.
 The cortical cells are living cells which remain interconnected with each other through the
plasmodesmata traversing through their cell walls.
 The water entering the cell sap of root hair moves into the underlying cortex cells through the
plasmodesmata.
 All the cells of the cortex are bounded by a continuous selectively permeable membrane.
 Because the cell membrane of one cell is connected with the cell membrane of the adjacent cell
through plasmodesmata, the water moves from one cell to another cell by the symplast method.
 The endodermal cells of the root have a conspicuous waxy thickening, the casparian strip, in their cell
walls which blocks the movement of water and minerals from one side to the other side via the cell
wall route.
 Therefore, water can reach up to the endodermis through the apoplast, but it moves through the
endodermis by the symplast.
 The symplast pathway is also known as the transmembrane pathway. This may occur by two
methods:
i. Non-vacuolar symplast pathway: Water passes between the adjacent cells through the
plasmodesmata. It does not enter the vacuoles.
ii. Vacuolar symplast pathway: Water crosses the tonoplast surrounding the vacuole. This pathway
offers a lot of resistance.

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Role of Mycorrhiza
 Mycorrhiza represents a mutualistic symbiotic association between the root system of higher plants
and fungal hyphae.
 The fungal hyphae form a network around the young root and invade the root cells.
 The external hyphae greatly increase the surface area for absorption of minerals and water.
 The fungal hyphae penetrating into the root cells provide a direct passage for the transport of water,
sugar and nitrogenous compounds into the root.

Some plants such as Pinus and some orchids have obligate

association with mycorrhizae. The Pinus seeds germinate only
when they get associated with mycorrhizae.

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