A celery plant in dye. Image credit wordpress.com

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

  1. Place the young plant with roots/celery into a solution of water with a dye/food coloring.
  2. 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.
  3. Observe the colour of the plant closely over a number of days.
  4. Cut a section across the stem of one of the plants after a number of days.
  5. Draw the cross section of the stem.

Results

The plant's leaves change colour. Image credit imagearcade.com

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.

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.