A celery plant in dye. Image credit wordpress.com
ZIMSEC O Level Combined Science Notes: Investigating the movement of water within plants
Aim: To demonstrate that moves up plants which have a transportation system.
Materials: Young plants with roots/celery plants, water, hand lenses, razor blade/scalpel, food colouring/dye.
Method
- Place the young plant with roots/celery into a solution of water with a dye/food coloring.
- Look at the tip of the roots through a lenses. You will observe tiny, white, shiny projections which are known as root hairs which absorb water into plants.
- Observe the colour of the plant closely over a number of days.
- Cut a section across the stem of one of the plants after a number of days.
- Draw the cross section of the stem.
Results
The plant’s leaves change colour. Image credit imagearcade.com
- The leaves change colour adopting the colour of the dye.
Celery stem after cutting with a scalpel.
- There are coloured tubes within the stem showing conduits that transport water up to the leaves.
Conclusion
- There are tubes/pipes/conduits in plants that transport water from the roots up to the leaves.
To access more topics go to the Combined Science Notes page.
