The apoplast and symplast pathways

Overview

Apoplast pathway and symplast pathway.

What you need to know

Answer each one before you reveal it.

Questions from this subtopic

Each one with the model answer underneath.

1. 1

   Define the apoplast pathway.

   Model answer

   The apoplast pathway is the movement of water through the cellulose cell walls and the spaces between them, without entering the cells.

2. 2

   Define the symplast pathway.

   Model answer

   The symplast pathway is the movement of water through the connected protoplasts of neighbouring cells.

3. 3

   Through which structures does water pass from one cell to the next in the symplast pathway?

   Model answer

   It passes through plasmodesmata, the strands of cytoplasm crossing the walls between adjacent cells.

4. 4

   Why is the apoplast pathway generally the faster of the two routes?

   Model answer

   Water moves freely through the open network of the cell walls without having to cross any cell surface membranes.

5. 5

   Which property of the cellulose cell wall allows the apoplast pathway to work?

   Model answer

   The cellulose wall is a permeable mesh of fibres, so water can move through it by mass flow.

6. 6

   Which pathway must water take to cross the endodermis of a root?

   Model answer

   It must take the symplast pathway, passing through the cytoplasm of the endodermal cells.

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