Title : PLANT STRUCTURE AND ANATOMY

Introduction

Plants are made up of two organ systems: the shoot system and the root system. For
terrestrial plants the shoot system is above ground and consists of a number of organs. These
include stems, leaves, and flowers. On the other hand, the root system is most often
underground and consists of organs such as roots, underground stems, and rhizomes. Each of
these organs performs a different function. Stems are support structures and mediate the
growth of the plant. Shoot tips contain actively dividing regions called meristems, which
produce auxin, a hormone that regulates the growth and shape of the plant. Leaves are the
primary sites of photosynthesis, so they are the food production centers of the plant. Flowers
are reproductive structures, where eggs and sperm (pollen) are produced and where
pollination and fertilization occur. Roots, tubers, and rhizomes are the main system for
nutrient and water acquisition and storage. All of these organs are made up of cells that can
be categorized into three major tissue types which are dermal, ground, and vascular tissue.

Materials

Plant. Eosin, prepared slide (cross section of roots), cover slip, clean slip, filter paper, scalpel,
forceps, beaker, tiles, microscopes.

Method

a. Stems
1. Plant A with leaves and roots was obtained.
2. The soil was removed from the plant.
3. Thin section of the stem and leaf was sliced off on the tile.
4. A few drops of eosin was put on the thin section for 5-10 minutes.
5. The stem was transferred carefully on the slide.
6. The specimen was observed under microscope.
7. The observations was drawn under low and high magnification.
b. Leaves
1. Thin slice of cross section of the C3 and C4 leaves was cut.
2. C3 and C4 leaves was observed under microscope.
3. The observation was drawn and labelled.
c. Root
1. The prepared slide was observed under microscope.
Discussion

In this experiment, C3 plant that we used is Zea mays (corn) and C4 plant that we
used in this experiment is Amaranthus (spinach). Firstly, we observed corn and spinach root
structure. Corn and spinach root structure have pericycle, endodermis, cortex, epiblema,
xylem and phloem. Pericycle is uniseriate and made from thin walled of parenchymatous
cells. It is outermost layer of stellar system. Usually it is made from parenchymatous cell but
it may become sclerenchymatous in older roots. Endodermis is innermost layer of cortex
made from barrel shaped parenchyma. Due to presence of casparian stripes, endodermis
forms water tight jacket around the vascular tissues, hence it is also called biological barrier.
It regulates the inward and outward flow of water and minerals and prevents diffusion of air
into xylem elements. Cortex is a multi-layered well developed and made from oval
parenchymatous cells with intercellular spaces. The intercellular spaces usually help in
gaseous exchanges, storage of starch. Cortex helps in mechanical support to the roots.
Epiblema is the outermost single layer made from compactly arranged parenchymatous cells
without intercellular space. Usually Epiblema has no stomata but bears unicellular epidermal
root hairs and less amount of cutin.
Secondly, we observed corn and spinach stem structure. Corn stem structure have
epidermis, hypodermis, ground tissues and vascular bundle while spinach stem structure have
medullary ray. Epidermis is the outermost uniseriate cuticularised layer of parenchyma with
stomata. It is made from arranged barrel shaped cells usually without epidermal stem hairs.
Hypodermis is just internal to epidermis, made from compactly arranged sclerenchyma
without intercellular spaces. It provides mechanical strength to the plant. Ground tissue is
parenchymatous. The scatter vascular bundles are imbedded in these tissues.
Vascular bundles are conjoint, collateral and closed. Each vascular bundle has oval outline
and surrounded by a sclerenchymatous bundle sheath which encloses Xylem and Phloem.
Xylem consists of vessels, tracheids, xylem parenchyma and limited xylem fibres. Vessel
is Y-shaped with larger two round pitted metaxylem vessels forming the arms and smaller
annual or spiral protoxylem vessels, forming the base. A large water cavity is present in the
inner side of the protoxylem. It stores water and also called water cavity. The xylems are
endarch with outer metaxylem and inner protoxylem. Phloem lies outside the xylem in the
vascular bundle. It consists of sieve tubes, companion cells and phloem fibers, but lacks
phloem parenchyma. The outer phloem is protophloem and functional metaphloem lie inner
portion.
Medullary rays are parenchymatous, radially elongated or polygonal cells lie in between
vascular bundles. It helps for the radial conduction of water and food materials. It is
extension of pith, hence also called pith rays.
Thirdly, we observed corn and spinach leaves structure. Corn and spinach leaves
structure have epidermis, mesophyll and vascular bundle such as xylem and phloem.
Mesophyll is the ground tissue that is present between the two epidermal layers. It is not
differentiated into palisade and spongy parenchyma and contains chloroplasts. It is composed
of cells that are almost spherical, oval or angular with irregular intercellular spaces.
Conclusion

In plant anatomy, tissues are categorized broadly into three tissue systems which are
the epidermis, the ground tissue, and the vascular tissue. Epidermis is cells forming the outer
surface of the leaves and of the young plant body. Vascular tissue is the primary components
of vascular tissue are the xylem and phloem. These transport fluids and nutrients internally.
Ground tissue is less differentiated than other tissues. Ground tissue manufactures nutrients
by photosynthesis and stores reserve nutrients. Plant tissues can also be divided differently
into two types which are meristematic tissues and permanent tissues.

The differences of C3 and C4 plant is C3 plants, the bundle sheath cells do not
contain chloroplasts. In C4 plants, the bundle sheath cells contain chloroplasts. In C3 plants,
the carbon dioxide fixation takes place only at one place. In C4 plants, the carbon dioxide
fixation takes places twice (one in mesophyll cells, second in bundle sheath cells).

References

Braun-Blanquet, J. (1932). Plant sociology. The study of plant communities. Plant sociology.
The study of plant communities. First ed.

Burke, M. J., & Grime, J. P. (1996). An experimental study of plant community

invasibility. Ecology, 77(3), 776-790.
 BIO 611
PLANT PHYSIOLOGY

LAB 1
PLANT STRUCTURE AND ANATOMY

NAME : SARAH AFIQAH BINTI YAHAYA

MATRIC NO : 2016589421
GROUP : AS2014B1
LECTURER’S NAME : DR. NOR’AISHAH BINTI ABU SHAH