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9.2 Transport in the phloem of plants

IB Syllabus Statements

Understandings:

  • Plants transport organic compounds from sources to sinks.

  • Incompressibility of water allows transport along hydrostatic pressure gradients.

  • Active transport is used to load organic compounds into phloem sieve tubes at the source.

  • High concentrations of solutes in the phloem at the source lead to water uptake by osmosis.

  • Raised hydrostatic pressure causes the contents of the phloem to flow towards sinks.

Applications and skills:

  • Application: Structure–function relationships of phloem sieve tubes.

  • Skill: Identification of xylem and phloem in microscope images of stem and root.

  • Skill: Analysis of data from experiments measuring phloem transport rates using aphid stylets and radioactively-labelled carbon dioxide.

Videos

Phloem and Hydrostatic Gradients

Measuring phloem transport rates

Phloem Structure and Function

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Topic 9.2 Transport in the phloem of plants HookED SOLO Hexagons

Topic 9.2 Transport in the phloem of plants SSaQ (Syllabus Statement as Questions)

  • Explain the phrase ‘plants transport organic compounds from sources to sinks’.

  • Explain how hydrostatic pressure gradients can be formed because of the incompressibility of water.

  • What process allows organic compounds (e.g. Sucrose) to be loaded into phloem sieve tubes?

  • What is responsible for water being taken up into phloem sieve tubes?

  • How does hydrostatic pressure contribute to movement of the content inside phloem sieve tubes?

  • Outline the relationship between the structure and function of phloem sieve tubes.

  • Outline how you would use visual cues to identify xylem and phloem in microscope images of stems and roots.

  • Explain how radioactively-labeled carbon dioxide is used in combination with aphid stylets to measure phloem transport rates.

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