which tissue is responsible for floating of aquatic plants
Answers
Answer:
The tissue which allows aquatic plants to float is Aerenchyma. Basically aerenchyma is parenchyma tissue in aquatic plants. The cells of aerenchyma make a network which has wide air spaces or air cavities for gaseous exchange. These air cavities make the plant light and buoyant and hence, plants can float easily in water.
Explanation:
From the last chapter, we recall that all living organisms are made of cells. In unicellular organisms, a single cell performs all basic functions. For example, in Amoeba, a single cell carries out movement, intake of food and respiratory gases, respiration and excretion. But in multi-cellular organisms there are millions of cells. Most of these cells are specialised to carry out a few functions. Each specialised function is taken up by a different group of cells. Since these cells carry out only a particular function, they do it very efficiently. In human beings, muscle cells contract and relax to cause movement, nerve cells carry messages, blood flows to transport oxygen, food, hormones and waste material and so on. In plants, vascular tissues conduct food and water from one part of the plant to other parts. So, multi-cellular organisms show division of labour. Cells specialising in one function are often grouped together in the body. This means that a particular function is carried out by a cluster of cells at a definite place in the body. This cluster of cells, called a tissue, is arranged and designed so as to give the highest possible efficiency of function. Blood, phloem and muscle are all examples of tissues.
A group of cells that are similar in structure and/or work together to achieve a particular function forms a tissue.
Plant Tissues
Meristematic Tissue
The growth of plants occurs only in certain specific regions. This is because the dividing tissue, also known as meristematic tissue, is located only at these points. Depending on the region where they are present, meristematic tissues are classified as apical, lateral and intercalary. New cells produced by meristem are initially like those of meristem itself, but as they grow and mature, their characteristics slowly change and they become differentiated as components of other tissues.
Apical meristem is present at the growing tips of stems and roots and increases the length of the stem and the root. The girth of the stem or root increases due to lateral meristem (cambium). Intercalary meristem is the meristem at the base of the leaves or internodes (on either side of the node) on twigs.
As the cells of this tissue are very active, they have dense cytoplasm, thin cellulose walls and prominent nuclei. They lack vacuoles.
Permanent Tissue
They take up a specific role and lose the ability to divide. As a result, they form a permanent tissue. This process of taking up a permanent shape, size, and a function is called differentiation. Cells of meristematic tissue differentiate to form different types of permanent tissue.
Simple Permanent Tissue
A few layers of cells form the basic packing tissue. This tissue is parenchyma, a type of permanent tissue. It consists of relatively unspecialised cells with thin cell walls. They are live cells. They are usually loosely packed, so that large spaces between cells (intercellular spaces) are found in this tissue. This tissue provides support to plants and also stores food. In some situations, it contains chlorophyll and performs photosynthesis, and then it is called chlorenchyma. In aquatic plants, large air cavities are present in parenchyma to give buoyancy to the plants to help them float. Such a parenchyma type is called aerenchyma. The parenchyma of stems and roots also stores nutrients and water.
The flexibility in plants is due to another permanent tissue, collenchyma. It allows easy bending in various parts of a plant (leaf, stem) without breaking. It also provides mechanical support to plants. We can find this tissue in leaf stalks below the epidermis. The cells of this tissue are living, elongated and irregularly thickened at the corners. There is very little intercellular space.
Yet another type of permanent tissue is sclerenchyma. It is the tissue which makes the plant hard and stiff. We have seen the husk of a coconut. It is made of sclerenchymatous tissue. The cells of this tissue are dead. They are long and narrow as the walls are thickened due to lignin (a chemical substance which acts as cement and hardens them). Often these walls are so thick that there is no internal space inside the cell. This tissue is present in stems, around vascular bundles, in the veins of leaves and in the hard covering of seeds and nuts. It provides strength to the plant parts.
In aquatic plants, parenchymal cells have large cavities that give the plant buoyancy, and help it swim in the water. This type of parenchymal cell is called a stomata.
Explanation:
- Aquatic plants do float in the water as they possess special adaptations to remain on the surface of water or remain submerged in water.
- These plants possess a lot of spongy cells full of air which helps them float on the surface of the water. These cells are called aerenchyma.
- Plants such as water lilies, lotus, water shields, and spatterdock are floating-leaved plants.
- Trailing Floating - These plants are rooted into the shallow areas nearest the bank and have a "trailing" or "creeping" growth habit which allows them to form floating mats that extend out over the water surface.