Vascular Plant Structure - Effingham County Schools
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Transcript Vascular Plant Structure - Effingham County Schools
Vascular Plant Structure
What are three major structures of a vascular
plant?
What are the functions of...?
Roots:
Absorb nutrients and moisture.
Anchor the plant in the soil.
Physical support for the stem.
Serve as food storage organs.
Stems:
Support buds and leaves.
Serve as conduit for carrying water, minerals, and
sugars.
Leaves:
Absorb sunlight for the manufacturing of plant
sugars
Cell Types
Parenchyma, collenchyma, and sclerenchyma
Parenchyma is the most common cell type.
Functions:
Conduct photosynthesis
Stores starch, oils, and water for the plant.
Also important for healing wounds of the plant; they
can divide throughout their entire lives.
EX: stem cuttings.
Parenchyma
Details: Thin cell walls and large water-filled
vacuoles in the middle.
Collenchyma
Most common in the younger tissues of leaves
and shoots.
Functions:
Provide support for the plant, while still allowing it to
grow.
They are flexible.
EX: As a young leaf grows, collenchyma cells can elongate,
giving the leaf structure.
Do not conduct photosynthesis.
Collenchyma
Details:
Cell walls range from thick to thin.
Often form into strands. EX: celery strings
Cells walls do not contain lignin, so they are
stretchy and can change size.
Comparing Parenchyma and
Collenchyma
Sclerenchyma
This is the strongest cell type of the three.
Functions:
Found in parts of the plant that are no longer
growing.
Skeletal support for water-conducting tissues and
the plant itself.
These cell fibers are used to make linen and rope.
Form a major part of fruit pits and hard outer shells
of nuts.
Sclerenchyma
Details:
Have a second cell wall that is hardened by lignin.
Makes the cells very tough, durable, and rigid.
These cells are not able to grow with the plant.
Comparing all three
Vocabulary
enchyma: cellular tissue
Ex: parenchyma
para: beside
coll: glue
scler: hard