TOPIC 11

PLANT EXCRETION

WATER MOVEMENT THROUGH THE

PLANT
Water movement through a plant begins with

evaporation from the leaf surface

98% of the water taken up by a plant is lost to
the atmosphere by transpiration

PLANT
Plants do not really produce any solid, organic

wastes
The main waste product of photosynthesic
plants in the light is oxygen gas, which
escapes mainly through leaf stomata (tiny
pores in the leaf surface)

PLANT
Water is not really a waste

product, it just evaporates

from leaves as a consequence
of keeping stomata open to
admit carbon dioxide gas
required for photosynthesis

EVAPORATION
Evaporation of water into the air means that

there is less water in the leaf cells and xylem

vessels.
Water moving up the stem replaces this lost
water.
The water is pulled up the plant using the
force from evaporation of the water

EVAPORATION FROM LEAVES

Water evaporates from the parts of a plant

that are exposed to the atmosphere

The greatest loss of water takes place through
the stomata (singular stoma), minute pores on
the leaf surface
There are more stomata on the lower surface
of leaves than on the upper surface

EVAPORATION FROM LEAVES

The lower surface is less exposed to the

warming effects of the Suns radiation ,

which would speed up the evaporation rate
Water cannot diffuse into the leaf through
the stomata because the air spaces inside
the leaf are completely saturated
This flow of water through the plant to
replace the losses by evaporation from the
leaf is called the transpiration stream

THE LEAF AND WATER

LOSS
Water is lost by evaporation and diffusion

from the leaf surface

This water loss happens because the stomata
need to open so the leaf can take in carbon
dioxide as a raw material for photosynthesis
Plants can open and close the stomata, which
helps to minimise water loss whilst allowing
photosynthesis to continue

ADAPTATIONS OF PLANTS
Plants may be adapted to the availability of

water
1) Upper epidermis a complete covering
which is usually one cell thick. It is transparent
to allow the free passage of light and has the
major function of preventing the entry of
disease-causing organisms such as bacteria
and fungi

ADAPTATIONS OF PLANTS
2) Palisade mesophyll tall thin cells arranged in
columns and separated by very narrow air
spaces. Cell contains many chloroplasts and the
dense packing of these cells allows the
absorption of the maximum amount of light
energy
3) Vein the transport system in and out of the
leaf. The xylem vessels deliver water and
minerals salts and the phleom sieve tubes carry
away the organic products of photosynthesis

ADAPTATIONS OF PLANTS
4) Spongy mesophyll
these cells are rather loosely packed and are
covered with a thin layer of water. The air
spaces between them aid the diffusion of
gases through the leaf. The air spaces are
saturated with water vapour so water diffuses
out of the leaf

ADAPTATION OF PLANTS
5) Stomata
These minute pores are mainly present in the
lower epidermis. This surface is less exposed to
the suns radiation so that evaporation of water is
kept to a minimum. The stomata can be closed
when no carbon dioxide intake is needed (in the
dark, for example)
When a plant is short of water, the guard cells
become flaccid, closing the stomata
When a plant has plenty of water, the guard cells
become turgid. The cell wall on the inner surface
is very thick, so it cannot stretch as much as the
outer surface. So as the guard cells swell up, they
curve away from each other, opening the stoma

TRANSPIRATION
Water uptake occurs by osmosis from the soil

solution (high water potential) into the root cells

(lower water potential)
Water moves up the stem in the xylem due to
the tension caused by water loss from the
leaves
Water moves from xylem to enter leaf tissues
down water potential gradient
Transpiration water evaporates from leaves
and lowers the water potential in the leaf tissues

TRANSPIRATION
Water diffuses through stomata down

water potential gradient

Water evaporates into internal air spaces
from surfaces of leaf cells
Leaf cells have a layer of moisture to aid
diffusion of carbon dioxide into the cells
Stomata allow the uptake of CO2 for
photosynthesis. When stomata are open,
water evaporated from the spongy
mesophyll can diffuse out of the leaf down
the water potential gradient

LEAF STRUCTURE
Leaf structure may reduce transpiration:
1. Thick, waxy cuticle reduces evaporation
from epidermis
2. Stomata may be sunk into pits which
trap a pocket of humid air
3. Leaves may be rolled with the stomata
on the inner surface close to a trapped
layer of humid air
4. Leaves may be needle shaped to reduce
their surface area

EXTERNAL FACTORS
External factors may affect the rate
of transpiration :
1) Wind moves humid air away from
the leaf surface and increases
transpiration
2) High temperatures increase the
water-holding capacity of the air and
increase transpiration

EXTERNAL FACTORS
3) Low humidity increases the
water potential gradient between
leaf and atmosphere and
increases transpiration
4) High light intensity causes
stomata to open ( to allow
photosynthesis) which allows
transpiration to occur

EXTERNAL FACTORS
4) High light intensity causes
stomata to open ( to allow
photosynthesis) which allows
transpiration to occur
5) Soil water If water becomes
increasingly unavailable then less
is taken in and transpiration is
reduced

INTERNAL FACTORS
Transpiration increases as the

surface area increases or if the

surface area to volume ratio
increases. The thinner the
cuticle the greater the rate of
cuticular transpiration.
Transpiration rate also increases
the more stomata there are
perunit area

INTERNAL FACTORS
Mineral elements area absorbed

as ions from the soil solution via

root hairs. They enter passively by
diffusion or are selectively
absorbed by active transport.
After their initial delivery, the ions
may be recirculated to other parts
of the plant by the phloem

TRANSPIRATION
Transpiration means the

loss of water vapour from

the surface of the plant. It
may occur via stomata in
leaves, lenticels in stems
and through the cuticle

LEAVES ARE CRYING :

IS IT NORMAL?

Guttation means the loss of liquid water

from the surface of a plant

It is most apparent on the larger leaves
The plant must have healthy root system
and ample water
Prolific gutation is a sign of good health
Many plants will guttate pure water under
appropriate conditions : wet soil and high
humidity

SUMMARY
Water is absorbed into the root hairs by

osmosis
Water travels through the plant in xylem
vessels
The flow of water through the plant is called
the transpiration stream
Water evaporates from the leaves causing
more water to be pulled up the stem
Minerals salts are absorbed by diffusion or
active transport in both animals and plants