EXPERIMENT 9: Plant Tissues

OBJECTIVE
To identify the function of plant tissues and types of roots, stems and leaves.
To describe the characteristic and function of plant tissues.

MATERIALS
1) Razor blade.
2) Clean microscope slide.
3) Coverslip.
4) Prepared slide of buttercup (Ranunculus) root, c.s.
5) Prepared slide of corn (Zea) root, c.s.
6) Compound microscope.
7) Distilled water in dropping bottles.
8) Germinating radish seeds in large petri dishes.
9) Demonstration slide of Casparian strip in endodermal cell walls.

PROCEDURE
1) Compound microscope was adjusted, the specific area was located, the field of
view was centered and slides that contain section of sambucus bark, Helianthus
 root, Tilia 2-year stem, lateral root origin, Zea prop root, root hairs, typical
monocot and dicot stem, typical monocot and dicot leaves, Zea root set 3-day
tip, Zea root set 3-day root and Zea root set 6-day root were prepared.
2) A slide of sambucus bark was placed on the stage and was adjusted to focus
on the specimen by using the microscope.
3) The features of the sambucus bark was observed by using the power lens of
4x, 10x and 40x of the light microscope to get a better figure.
4) The slide of the sambucus bark was observed, drew and labelled the features
on the paper as seen under the microscope.
5) The same procedure from 5.2 until 5.4 was repeated for each slide or sample
that had been prepared in the laboratory.
DISCUSSION
The purpose of this experiment is to identify the function of plant tissues
and types of roots, stems and leaves. Besides, to describe the characteristic and
functions of plant tissue. As in other organisms, the basic structural and functional
unit of plant is the cell. Plant cells are organized into tissue. A tissue is a group of cells
that forms a structural and functional unit because simple tissues are composed of
only one kind of cell. While, group of cells having common origin, similar structure and
performing a definite function is called a tissue. Tissues are found in plants and
animals. Plants and animals are made up of many different kinds of tissues. Different
types of tissues have distinctive architecture best suited for what they do. Plant tissues
can be grouped into four types: ground, vascular, dermal and meristemic tissue.
While, basic vascular plant parts are roots, shoots, stems, and leaves. In short, plants
evolved roots and shoots. Shoots, in turn, can develop stems and leaves.
Roots are branched, underground structures that serve two major
functions. First, somewhat obviously, roots firmly anchor the plant to a fixed spot.
Once a plant takes root and begins to grow in an area with good access to moisture,
soil nutrients, and light, it pays to stay. Second, roots serve as transport systems,
allowing the plant to suck up water and dissolved nutrients from the soil to support
the plant’s growth. Roots have specialized parts that develop from the three major
types of plant tissue: ground, dermal, and vascular. Stems are sturdy structures that
grow in order to give a plant a fighting chance to spread its leaves in the sun. Stem
growth can add to the plant’s height, broaden the area covered by the leaves, or even
direct growth from a dark area toward one with more light. To provide mechanical
support for a growing plant, stems need to be strong. To help move water and
nutrients to the furthest reaches of the plant, stems are stuffed with little transport
pipes in the form of xylem and phloem. Leaves are the original solar panels, capturing
energy from sunlight in a biochemical process called photosynthesis. The cells within
leaf tissues are hectic with biochemistry, importing water and nutrients to support
their frantic work, and exporting sugar to provide energy to the remainder of the plant.
The import/export business conducted by the leaves is supported by xylem and
phloem
 Based on the experiment, specimen of root hairs done be observed under
compound microscope. The root hairs are simple, unbranched trichomes that increase
the surface area of the root epidermis (which comes into contact with soil) for more
effective water and mineral absorption. The epidermis also contains special
outgrowths, or hairs. Called trichomes, which occur in many sizes. Plants that tolerate
salty environments such as the seashore often have specialized trichomes on their
leaves to remove excess salt that accumulates in the plants. The presence of trichomes
on the aerial parts of desert plant may increase the reflection of light off the plants,
thereby cooling the internal tissues and decreasing water loss. Other trichomes also
have a protective function. Therefore, root hairs increase the absorptive surface of the
root tremendously.

Root hairs can be classified under epidermis tissue where epidermis tissue
consists of epidermal cells, guard cells, and trichomes are presence in root hairs. The
epidermis is the outermost layer of cells on stems and roots that have not yet
experienced an increase in girth, which secondary growth. It can be considered the
plants original equipment. That is, it is the first outer protective coating a plant stem
or root will have. Furthermore, it is the only type of dermis found in a plant stem or
root that does not undergo secondary growth. In stems, the outer surface is normally
covered with a waxy cuticle that reduces water loss and protects the plant from
harmful ultraviolet radiation. In roots, where such protection is not necessary the
cuticle is often absent, and root hairs emerge from the mature epidermal cells.
Vascular tissues are plant tissue consisting of cells joined into tubes that
transport water (xylem) and nutrients (phloem) throughout the plant body. Xylem
conducts water and dissolved minerals upward from roots into the shoots, while
phloem transports sugars, the products of photosynthesis, from where they are
made(usually the leaves)to where they are needed - usually roots and sites of growth,
such as developing leaves and fruits. In the root, vascular tissues are found in the
middle when observed in a cross section. In the stem, vascular tissues are scattered
but arranged on a circular orientation. In the leaves, vascular tissues are focused on
the petiole and its branches.
When seen under a microscope, type of plant tissue is most likely to
present a large amount of cells undergoing cell division is most likely meristematic
tissue. Meristematic tissues, when seen under a microscope, contain a large number
of cells undergoing mitosis. Meristematic tissues are the ones responsible for the
creation of new organs needed in the plant leaves, stems or roots. They are classified
into two parts based on their location: apical and lateral meristems. Apical meristems
are located at tips of shoots and roots, and are responsible for primary growth. Lateral
meristems are responsible for the thickness of a plant, and usually easily noticeable
on the barks and stems of a plant.
These plant tissues altogether form the three major organs of a plant:
root, stem, and leaves. Roots, stems, leaves, and fruits are organs because each is
composed of all three tissue systems. A root is a multicellular organ that anchors a
vascular plant in the soil, absorbs mineral sand water, and often stores carbohydrates.
A stem is an organ consisting of an alternating system of nodes, the points at which
leaves are attached, and internodes, the stem segments between nodes, which
support the leaves and reproductive structures. A leaf is the main photosynthetic
organ of a vascular plant, although green stems also perform photosynthesis. The
tissue systems of different plant organs form an interconnected network throughout
the plant. For example, the vascular tissue system of a leaf is continuous with the
vascular tissue system of the stem to which it is attached, and the vascular tissue
system of the stem is continuous with the vascular tissue system of the root. A good
example of this is the three basic tissue patterns found in roots and stems which serve
to delineate between woody dicot, herbaceous dicot and monocot plants.
POST LAB QUESTION
1) Referring the slide of root hairs, do they originate all the way down to the root cap
( Yes or No)?
Yes. This is because the outer area of the bottom of the root protects other root tissues
as the root continues to grow into the soil.

2) Examine the root hairs carefully. What happens to their length as you observe them
at increasing distance from the root tip?
They become longer.

3) The youngest root hairs are the shortest. What does this imply regarding their point
of origin and pattern of maturation?
Root hairs or absorbent hairs is a tubular outgrowth of a trychoblast, a hair-forming
cell on the epidermis of a plant roots. They are mainly found in the region of
maturation of the root, and not the zone of elongation because ny root hairs that arise
are sheared off as the root elongates and moves through the soul. Root hair cells vary
in between fifteen and seventeen micrometers in their meter, and eighty to 1,500
micrometers in lengths.

4) Beneath the epidermis find the relatively wide cortex, consisting of parenchyma
cells that contain numerous starch grains. Based on the presence of starch grains,
what would you suspect one function of this root might be?
It is responsible for the transportation of the materials into central cylinder of the root
through diffusion and may also be used for food storage in the form of starch.

5) Do you find any starch grains in the cortex of the corn stem?
Yes, because Starch grains are small granules found in the leaves, roots, stems, fruits
and seeds of plants

6) Does the spongy mesophyll contain any chloroplasts (Yes or No)?

Yes, spongy mesophyll contains many chloroplast. most photosynthesis takes place in
palisade cells. Spongy mesophyll also captures light and makes food.
7) What is one function that occurs within the spongy mesophyll?
spongy mesophyll is the air spaces in a plant that allow air to diffuse among the cells
which are producing and releasing both CO2 and O2, the area where gas exchange
occurs.

8) Is the lower epidermal layer covered by a cuticle?

Yes, the cuticle covers both the upper and lower parts of the leaf epidermis, made
mostly of lipids and waxes. The cuticle tends to be thicker on the top of the leaf, since
that's the part that's most exposed to the sun. The cuticle protects the leaf's
photosynthesizing cells from danger, such as bacteria, fungal spores, viruses and other
disease-causing dangers. The cuticle also protects the leaf's photosynthesizing cells
from environmental toxins, excessive ultraviolet radiation and too much water loss.

9) Compare the abundance of stomata within the lower epidermis with that in the
upper epidermis. Which epidermal surface has more stomata.
All surfaces of the leaf have some amount of stomata for regulating gas exchange for
photosynthesis. However, the lower epidermis which is the underside of the leaf have
many of it, because it is more often in the shade and when it is cooler, which means
evaporation wants to take place as much.

10) Look at the mesophy11 of the leaf. Draw and label it in Figure 11. Is the
mesophy11 divided into palisade and spongy layers (Yes or No)?
Yes, Mesophyll can then be divided into two layers, the palisade layer and
the spongy layer
CONCLUSION
According to our data, there are four different types of plant tissues
namely; meristematic, epidermal, vascular and ground tissue. These types of plant
tissues have different functions. The cell of each type varies in size, shape, behaviour
and composition. Meristematic tissue, it is in this region where new cells are produce.
Dermal tissue provides a protective cover for the entire body of a plant. Ground tissue
is responsible for the plants metabolic functions. Vascular tissue transports materials
like water and nutrients between the root and the shoot system. They are arranged
finely in the regions of the plants organ. For example in roots, stem and leaves the
arrangements of these tissues are the same. The dermal tissue is located on the outer
part, ground tissue is between the dermal and vascular tissue and the meristematic
tissue has three main types the apical meristem that occurs in the tips of stems and
roots, intercalary meristem takes between the tip and base of stems and leaves and
lateral meristem occurs at the side of stems and roots. Therefore, the purpose of this
experiment are achieved.

REFERENCE
Solomon, E., Martin, D. W. and L. R. Berg. (2015). Biology. 10th Edition. Thomson
Learning. USA. 1440p.
Eldra, P. S., Charles, E. M., Diana, W. M., & Linda, R. B. (2011). Biology, Tenth Edition . USA
: Cengage Learning .

Neil, A. C., & Jane, B. R. (2009). Campbell Biology - 9th edition. San Francisco : Pearson
Benjamin Cummings .

Reece, J. B., & Campbell, N. A. (2011). Campbell Biology - Tenth Edition . USA : Pearson
Education Inc. .

Rusell, P. J., Hertz, P. E., & McMillan, B. (2014). Biology : The Dynamic Science - Fourth
Edition . USA: Cengage Learning .

Taylor, D. J., Green, N. P., Stout, G. W., & Soper, R. (1997). Biological Science ! & 2 .
CAMBRIDGE Univesity Press.