Root Systems

Absorbing enough water and dissolved minerals to sustain plant

growth and maintenance requires a large root surface

Roots also store nutrients produced in photosynthesis some are
used by root cells and some are used later by the shoot

As a root system grows downward and out, it also anchors the
aboveground parts
Taproot and Fibrous Root
Systems


Most eudicots have a taproot system which includes a single main
root adapted for storage and smaller branching roots called lateral
roots

Grasses and many other monocots develop a fibrous root system
in which several main roots spread out laterally from the base of the
stem, branching to form smaller roots

Fibrous roots are important ecologically because dense root
networks help hold topsoil in place and prevent erosion
Adventitious Roots

In some plants, adventitious roots arise from the stem or other
parts of the plant

Adventitious roots and their branchings all are about the same
length and diameter

Prop roots of a corn plant are adventitious roots that develop from
the shoot node nearest the soil surface

Mangroves often have huge prop roots, which develop from
branches as well as from the main stem
Root Structure


In most plants, primary root growth begins when an embryonic root
(radicle) emerges from a germinating seed

The root apical meristem ends in a dome-shaped cell mass (root
cap) which protects the meristem as the root elongates through the
soil

Certain cells in the root cap respond to gravity (which guides the
root tip downward) or secrete a lubricating polysaccharide-rich
substance
Zones of Primary Growth

Just inside the root cap, a small clump of apical meristem cells (the
quiescent center) divides very slowly

The root apical meristem behind it form the zone of cell division,
which segregates into the three primary meristems

The zone of cell division merges into the zone of elongation, where
cells elongate as their vacuoles fill with water

Above the zone of elongation, cells differentiate further and take on
specialized roles in the zone of maturation

Root Tissues


Primary roots and shoots form a unified system of vascular pipelines
extending from root tip to shoot tip

Root procambium matures into root xylem and phloem

Ground meristem gives rise to the roots cortex starch-storing
parenchyma cells that surround the stele
In eudicots, the stele runs through the center of the root
In some monocots, the stele forms a ring that divides the ground
tissue into cortex and pith
Root Tissues (cont.)


Numerous plasmodesmata connect the cytoplasm of adjacent cells
of the cortex

In many flowering plants, the outer root cortex gives rise to a narrow
band of cells beneath the epidermis (exodermis) which limits water
loss and helps regulate ion absorption

The innermost layer of root cortex (endodermis) is a selectively
permeable barrier that helps control the movement of water and
dissolved minerals
Root Tissues (cont.)


Between the stele and the endodermis, the pericycle consists of
parenchyma cells that function as meristem

In response to chemical growth regulators, root primordia arise in
the pericycle and form lateral roots

The distribution and frequency of lateral root formation partly control
the overall shape of the root system
Plant Tissues (cont.)



In some developing epidermal cells, the outer surface becomes
extended into tiny root hairs that greatly increase the plants
absorptive surface

Each hair is a slender tube with thin walls made sticky by a coating
of pectin soil particles adhere to the wall, facilitating the uptake of
water molecules and mineral ions from soil
Do your best to answer these
questions



1. Compare the two general types of root systems

2. Describe the zones of primary growth in roots

3. Describe the various tissues that arise in a root
system and their functions