Plants are living things. They need water and nutrients, they use gases from the air and they produce waste materials. They grow, they reproduce and they die. Like all living things, plants are made up of cells. The cell wall of a plant cell contains a tough fibrous material called cellulose. The cell wall needs to be thick and rigid to provide the plant with support. Plant cells contain a large vacuole filled with sap. Structure of a plant cell Although animals must eat to survive, plants do not. Plants make their own food in a process called photosynthesis. Energy from sunlight combines carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) from the air and water (H 2 O) from the soil to make a type of sugar called glucose (C 6 H 12 O 6 ) and oxygen gas (O 2 ). The word equation and unbalanced formula equation for photosynthesis is: chloroplast A typical plant cell cytoplasm cell wall Fig.2 large vacuole containing cell sap carbon dioxide + water + sunlight glucose + oxygen gas CO 2 + H 2 O + sunlight C 6 H 12 O 6 + O 2 cell nucleus cell membrane mitochondrion The plant then uses the glucose produced as its food and energy source. Sun carbon dioxide (from air) light energy chlorophyll in cells water (from soil) glucose + oxygen to all parts of the plant Typical plant cells Fig.3 Fig.1 released into the air The process of photosynthesis Photosynthesis occurs in structures called chloroplasts inside cells on the surfaces of leaves. Chloroplasts can be seen using a light microscope. Chloroplasts contain a green chemical, chlorophyll, which traps the light energy plants need to run the photosynthesis reaction. Prac 1 p. 142 Specialised plant cells Plants contain different types of cells, each performing a different job. Plants need cells to stand upright, cells to suck water from the soil, cells to reproduce and cells to allow photosynthesis to take place. Following are some of the specialised plant cells that plants need. 137
Plant cells >>> Photosynthetic cells: These cells make up a layer near the surface of a leaf. Most of a plant s photosynthesis happens here. Fig.7 A single stomata, properly called a stoma chloroplasts nucleus Fig.4 A photosynthetic cell Conducting cells: Special conducting cells form tubes or vessels that transport water and nutrients to all parts of the plant. Root hair cells: Plants and photosynthesis need water, which is absorbed from soil by specialised root hair cells. water-conducting tube A root hair cell Fig.8 sieve cell in root root hair food-conducting tube Conducting cells Fig.5 nucleus soil Guard cells: Plants take in carbon dioxide and give out oxygen, but they lose some valuable water when they do so. Special guard cells lie on the underside of leaves. Their job is to open and close small openings called stomata and so reduce water loss. guard cell Cunning cactus Cactus plants have needles for leaves. The needles have little space for the stomata through which water is lost. This adaptation allows the cactus to survive in desert conditions. Fig.6 A guard cell Root hairs increase the surface area through which water is absorbed into a plant. Fig.9 138
Plant systems The cells of plants group together to form organs and systems. Leaf cells group together to form the organ that you would know as a leaf. Several leaves form the food-making system for the plant. Some other plant systems are: the reproductive system consisting of the parts of a flower the food storage system, often in the form of a bulb or tuber the root system for securing the plant in the ground and obtaining water and nutrients the food and water transport system consisting of a network of veins. Plant pathways There are two types of tubes that transport food and water inside plants. Xylem tubes carry water and minerals (e.g. phosphorous, potassium, nitrogen, sulfur, calcium, iron and magnesium) from the soil, up into the stems and leaves. Xylem tubes are made of dead cells strengthened with a woody substance. Unlike animals, a plant does not have a heart to pump liquid through its tubes. Instead, water is pushed upwards by pressure in the roots. Evaporation through the stomata (tiny holes in the leaves) further assists by sucking the water upwards. Homework book 5.1 Water movement in trees Phloem tubes are made from living cells. Their function is to transport the food (glucose) that is produced by photosynthesis in the leaves to the stem and roots. Some plants store glucose directly for use when required (e.g. to produce new buds in spring). Lettuce and cabbage can store glucose in their leaves and celery can store it in its stem. A carrot plant stores glucose in the carrot. Other plants store the food in the form of starch. A potato plant stores starch in potatoes, which is why potatoes are not as sweet as carrots and other vegetables. Xylem and phloem tubes are grouped together in vascular bundles, separated by a layer of cambium cells. Cambium cells are able to become either new xylem or new phloem cells as required. Prac 2 p. 143 Ripening bananas A green banana contains starch. This starch changes into glucose as it ripens, making the banana sweeter. glucose made by photosynthesis water evaporates out of stomata phloem cambium water travels through xylem vessels vascular bundle water enters root hairs xylem Fig.10 Water flow through a plant Cross-section of a stem, showing vascular bundles Fig.11 139
Plant cells Plant skeletons Animals have skeletons to hold them upright. Plants use other means. Firm or floppy The soft parts of a plant are supported by water in its cells. The plant will be upright and its cells firm (turgid) if enough water is present. The plant s stem and leaves may droop and become flaccid if the water content in the cells falls. Stomata control the flow of oxygen and water vapour out of a leaf, and also control carbon dioxide intake. Fig.12 >>> Wood Trees are just big plants and so they too contain xylem and phloem cells. Vascular bundles in the stem eventually link up to form a vascular cylinder. Phloem cells stay in the outer layer of a tree, just under the bark. These phloem cells are the pathways for nutrients to reach all parts of a tree. The tree may die if they are damaged. Ringbarking removes a layer of phloem cells and will quickly kill a tree. Each year a new layer of xylem cells is produced, and the inner layers of old xylem cells combine with other plant substances to form wood. A cut cross-section of a tree trunk can reveal these yearly rings of growth. cell magnified guard cells underside of leaf stoma in open position cell magnified straight guard cells wilted leaf closed stoma Fig.13 Growth rings in mature trees A B C D many annual rings vascular bundle cambium joins up xylem phloem cambium phloem xylem vascular cylinder formed Formation of growth rings in a tree Fig.14 140
Revision questions [ Questions ] Structure of a plant cell 1 Why do plants need photosynthesis? 2 What is the chemical formula for: a carbon dioxide b oxygen gas? 3 What chemicals do these formulas represent? a C 6 H 12 O 6 b H 2 O 4 For the photosynthesis chemical reaction, write its: a word equation b unbalanced chemical equation. 5 What is the green substance in plant cells and what does it do? 6 Which part of a plant cell contains: a sap b fibrous material c chlorophyll? Specialised plant cells 7 Which type of plant cell is: a hairy b the gatekeeper c a transporter? 8 Construct a table that shows what each type of plant cell does. Plant systems 9 List four systems that a plant has. 10 A leaf is really an organ of a plant. Explain why. Plant pathways 11 Name the two types of plant transport tubes and describe what they do. 12 Plants need minerals. List five of them with their element symbols. 13 What gets fluid moving through a plant? 14 What is a vascular bundle? 15 State two ways plants store energy for future use. 16 What is so special about cambium cells? Plant skeletons 17 Why do some plants wilt in hot weather? 18 What provides support for a tree? Thinking questions 19 Suggest why photosynthetic cells are normally located on the top of a leaf and not under it. 20 Animals do not need the ability to carry out photosynthesis. Suggest why. 21 Plants are usually green. Suggest why. 22 Study the plant diagram in Figure.15 and state which part contains each of the following systems. flower roots a reproductive system b food-making system c food and water transport system d root system e food storage system 23 What would happen to a plant without: a cellulose in its cells b chlorophyll in its cells? bulb leaf Fig.15 24 A plant would die if it did not have the following cells. Suggest how it would die if it had no: a guard cells b photosynthetic cells c conducting cells d root hair cells. 25 Growth rings are produced because trees grow at different rates during a year, producing different patterns within the tree. Why do trees grow at different rates during a year? >> 141
Plant cells >>> 26 Which plant tubes are most at risk when a rabbit nibbles the base of a small tree? 27 Putting cut flowers in a vase of water keeps them fresh for longer. Suggest how. 28 Suggest how removing the leaves from a plant might affect it. 29 Plants contain a large amount of carbon. Suggest where this comes from. SCIENCE at work Present your work as an experimental report. Include all Investigating Geranium shoots Ringbark one geranium shoot, cover the ringbarking with Vaseline to prevent drying and place the shoot in a container of water. Place a similar, non-ringbarked shoot in another container of water. Leave them for two weeks and record any observations made about root growth. Root growth requires food that is produced in the leaves. What can you conclude about food pathways in geranium shoots? Present your work as an experimental report. Include all the normal features, such as aim, materials, method, results and conclusion. Radish seeds Place some radish seeds on moist cotton wool and observe the roots that develop over a few days. What does this arrangement allow you to observe that might be lost when pulling a plant out of the ground? the normal features, such as aim, materials, method, results and conclusion. Constructing Plant cells Use Plasticine to make a three-dimensional model of a plant cell. Slice it to produce a two-dimensional (flat) view similar to that shown in Figure.2 on page 137. Surfing Researching paper Surf your available resources (textbooks, encyclopaedias, Internet, etc.) to find out how paper is manufactured from wood. Present your work as a flow chart showing every major stage in the process from tree to paper. Prac 1 Unit [ Practical activities ] Onion, banana and rhubarb cells You will need Microscope, potassium iodide stain, lamp, filter paper, glass slide, eye dropper, water, cover slip, samples of onion skin, banana and rhubarb, wooden craft stick What to do 1 Slice or peel a thin layer of skin from an onion. 2 Prepare a wet mount of the onion skin using the method described on pages 129 to 130. 3 Obtain a clear image with the microscope and sketch what you see. 4 Sketch a few of the onion cells that you see. 5 Smear a thin layer of banana onto a clean slide and stain the specimen. 6 Add a drop of water and a cover slip. 7 Obtain a clear image with the microscope and sketch what you see. 8 Peel some of the outer layer from a piece of rhubarb. 9 Prepare a wet mount and observe the rhubarb cells under the microscope. 10 Sketch its image. >> 142
Questions 1 Why was stain recommended for viewing banana cells, but not for onion cells? 2 Which cells were easier to observe. Why? 3 Describe some of the similarities and differences you saw between banana, onion and rhubarb cells. Prac 2 Unit Water transport You will need Celery stick, two beakers, razor blade, dye What to do 1 Arrange the apparatus as shown in Figure.16. 2 Leave it overnight before observing the celery stalk closely. 3 Cut the celery stick lengthways and across the stalk and note the presence of any dye. 4 Design a modification to the set-up to investigate what effect the leaves have on the movement of the dye. celery Questions 1 Where did the dye get to? In which direction did it move? 2 Draw a diagram showing the dye and its movement. dye Water transport in celery water Fig.16 3 Suggest why one half of the celery stalk was placed in water with no dye. 143
5.3 >>> Animals are made up of cells just like plants. Animals are far more complex than plants, however, and need a greater variety of cell types to allow them to live, move and reproduce. Specialised animal cells The skin, muscles, organs and blood of animals are all made up of different types of cells, most of them so small that hundreds would fit inside a full stop. Each animal cell is specialised to perform its particular job. Whatever the job, there is a cell specifically for it. Some of the more important cells that animals need are: blood cells to carry food and oxygen around the body and to fight off infection from bacteria and viruses muscle cells to give movement nerve cells to send messages from the brain to the muscles and back from nerve receptors to the brain skin cells to cover bodies and to provide a barrier for infection bone cells to help support Fig 5.3.1 Various types of human cells, each specialised for a different purpose Body cells Your body contains over a hundred million million cells. the body and protect internal organs fat cells to insulate the body and store energy specific cells to make up the different organs of an animal such as the heart, brain, lungs and liver sperm and egg cells that can combine to produce a new animal. Red and white blood cells, magnified 3000 times Fig 5.3.2 Structure of an animal cell Although there are similarities, animal cells are usually more complex than plant cells. All animal cells, whether they are from a human, pig or a frog, have several characteristics in common. red blood cell white blood cell fat cell part of a skeletal muscle cell bone cell nerve cell involuntary muscle cells 144
The cell membrane is a thin outer layer that contains the cell and controls what goes in or comes out. Animals have some form of skeleton to hold them upright and so do not need the thick cell walls that plants have. The cytoplasm is a jelly-like liquid containing hundreds of chemicals. It fills most of the cell. New substances are made and energy is released and stored here. The cytoplasm can be thought of as the chemical factory of the cell. Vacuoles are storage areas that may contain air, water, wastes and food particles. Animal cells often contain several small vacuoles. The control room of the cell is the cell nucleus. The nucleus controls all chemical reactions in a cell and how the cell develops. The nucleus contains instructions in chemical codes for building new cells. Mitochondria are small objects that can be thought of as energy capsules. Each mitochondrion contains sugar and oxygen, which can combine to release energy. Mitochondria are so small they cannot usually be seen using a light microscope. Unit 5.3 Unit 5.3 cell membrane vacuole cell nucleus cytoplasm mitochondrion (not normally visible) Fig 5.3.3 The structure of an animal cell Fig 5.3.4 Stained human cheek cells showing clearly the cell nuclei [ Questions ] Revision questions Homework book Cell diagrams Specialised animal cells 1 To start a new animal, a sperm cell must fertilise an cell. 2 How many cells are in your body? A less than 1000 C about 1 billion B exactly 100 million D over 100 million million 3 List any five types of body cells and explain what they do. 4 Which type of human cells: a help keep out infection c carry oxygen b send messages d assist with movement? 5 Draw two different types of human cell. Structure of an animal cell 6 What part of an animal cell: a is so small it cannot usually be seen with a light microscope b is a jelly-like liquid c contains coded instructions d are energy capsules e is the outside wall? Thinking questions 7 There are fewer types of plant cells compared to animal cells. Suggest why. 8 Muscle cells contain large numbers of mitochondria. Why do you think this is so? 9 Suggest why animal cells do not need the tough cell wall that plant cells need. 10 Which cells do humans only produce after puberty? 11 Suggest what humans would look like if their cells contained chloroplasts full of chlorophyll. Analysis question 12 The digestive systems of animals like sheep, cows and rabbits contain bacteria that help break down a substance found in the cell walls of plants but not in animal cells. Humans are unable to break down this substance. Deduce what this substance is. 145