8.1 Plant Organs and Tissues

Like animals, plants contain cells with organelles in which specific metabolic activities take place. Unlike animals, however, plants use energy from sunlight to form sugars during photosynthesis. In addition, plant cells have cell walls, plastids, and a large central vacuole: structures that are not found in animal cells. Each of these cellular structures plays a specific role in plant structure and function.

Plant Organs

In plants, just as in animals, similar cells work together to form a tissue. When different types of tissues work together to perform a unique function, they form an organ; organs working together form organ systems.

Vascular plants have three main vegetative organs: roots, shoots, and leaves. They are described as follows:

1. The shoot system consists of two portions: the vegetative (non-reproductive) parts of the plant, such as the leaves and the stems, and the reproductive parts of the plant, which include flowers and fruits. The shoot system generally grows above ground, where it absorbs the light needed for photosynthesis.
2. The root system, which supports the plants and absorbs water and minerals, is usually underground. Figure 8.1.1 shows the organ systems of a typical plant.
3. The leaves of a plant are charged with carrying out photosynthesis, water regulation, gas exchange, and structural support. This multifaceted organ makes up most of our visual perception of a plant.

Plants also have reproductive organs, which carry out sexual or asexual reproduction. In sexual reproduction, a female and male gametes within the flower which result in the creation of a seed. Asexual reproduction subverts the need for pollination and seed dispersal. Instead, plants can experience or perform budding, fragmentation, spore formation (such as in mosses or ferns), and more to create identical genetic copies of themselves.

Plant Tissues

Plants are multicellular eukaryotes with tissue systems made of various cell types that carry out specific functions: dermal, vascular, and ground. These are described as follows:

1. Dermal tissue covers and protects the plant.
2. Vascular tissue transports water, minerals, and sugars to different parts of the plant.
3. Ground tissue serves as a site for photosynthesis, provides a supporting matrix for the vascular tissue, and helps to store water and sugars.

Secondary tissues are either simple (composed of similar cell types) or complex (composed of different cell types). Dermal tissue, for example, is a simple tissue that covers the outer surface of the plant and controls gas exchange. Vascular tissue is an example of a complex tissue, and is made of two specialized conducting tissues: xylem and phloem.

Xylem cells, which transport water and nutrients from the roots to the rest of the plant, are dead at functional maturity. Phloem cells, which transport sugars and other organic compounds from photosynthetic tissue to the rest of the plant, are living. The vascular bundles are encased in ground tissue and surrounded by dermal tissue.

Figure Descriptions

Figure 8.1.1. A side view of a whole plant is split by the soil line. Above ground, a central stem bears multiple leaves and a terminal flower/fruit cluster, all bracketed and labeled shoot system. Below ground, branching roots spread through the soil and are labeled root system, with arrows or notes indicating their roles in anchorage and absorption of water and mineral nutrients. The layout contrasts the organs of the shoot (leaves, stems, flowers, fruits) with the subterranean root network and their respective functions. [Return to Figure 8.1.1]

Figure 8.1.2. This light micrograph displays a cross-sectional view of a squash (Cucurbita maxima) root. In the center of the image, there are several vascular bundles. Each bundle consists of large xylem vessels on the inside, labeled “Xylem,” and smaller phloem cells on the outside, labeled “Phloem.” The root is surrounded by the epidermis (dermal tissue), labeled as well. The vascular bundles are arranged in a teardrop shape. Scale markings indicate that each section measures 200 micrometers. The image also features arrows pointing to key parts of the root, such as “Vascular bundle” and “Epidermis.” [Return to Figure 8.1.2]

Licenses and Attributions

“8.1 Plant Organs and Tissues” is adapted from “30.1 The Plant Body” by Mary Ann Clark, Matthew Douglas, and Jung Choi for OpenStax Biology 2e under CC-BY 4.0. “8.1 Plant Organs and Tissues” is licensed under CC-BY-NC 4.0.