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Page Facing Up

Theme B - Form & Function

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Direct Hit

Theme A - Unity & Diversity

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Pill

Theme C - Interaction &  Interdependence

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Keycap Digit One

Theme D - Continuity & Change

Ever wonder how a plant&#39;s sugary goodness gets around? Just like how you might share candy with your friends, plants also have a cool way of sharing! Let&#39;s dive into the world of phloem and see what&#39;s happening.

<ul>
	<li>Phloem - The plant&#39;s superhighway for sugary treats!</li>
	<li>Sources - Where the sugary snacks (carbon compounds) are made or stored. E.g. Leaves 🍃</li>
	<li>Sinks - Where these sugars are used or stored. E.g. Roots 🥕</li>
	<li>Translocation - The act of moving the sugars around.</li>
</ul>

<ul>
	<li>
	Sieve Tubes - Think of these as tunnels or pipes. These tubes are made from cells that join together, with big holes (sieve plates) between them. The cool part? Most of their insides dissolve, leaving just a sugary liquid called &#39;phloem sap&#39;.
	</li>
	<li>
	Are sieve tubes still cells? 🤔 - Even though they lose a lot of their insides, they&#39;re still alive! They have membranes and use energy (ATP). But, they&#39;re often called &#39;sieve tube elements&#39; instead of cells.
	</li>
	<li>
	Companion Cells - Sieve tubes have BFFs named &#39;companion cells&#39;. Sieve tubes borrow energy from them. These buddies are full of energy factories called mitochondria. They&#39;re connected by little bridges called plasmodesmata which lets ATP and sugar pass between them. And guess what? These bridges are BIGGER than others in the plant.
	</li>
</ul>

<ul>
	<li>
	Loading up: High sugar concentration is built in the leaves (and other sources). This attracts water in, increasing pressure inside the sieve tubes.
	</li>
	<li>
	Driving Force: This pressure difference between where the sugar is made (source) and where it&#39;s used/stored (sink) drives the sugar movement. It&#39;s like when you squeeze one end of a toothpaste tube, the paste moves to the other end!
	</li>
	<li>
	Offloading at the Destination: Once at the roots (or sinks), sugars are unloaded. This reduces the sugar concentration, causing water to leave and reducing the pressure.
	</li>
</ul>

<ul>
	<li>
	Strong Walls: While they&#39;re not bodybuilders, sieve tube elements have strong walls that can handle the high pressure of sugar transport. Especially the sieve plates - they prevent the tubes from bulging out.
	</li>
	<li>
	Two-Way Street: Sieve tubes are cool because they can move sugar in BOTH directions. Imagine a highway where cars can go both ways (but not at the same time). For example, they might move sugar INTO a growing leaf when it&#39;s young. But, when that leaf grows up and makes its own sugar, it&#39;s moved OUT of the leaf.
	</li>
</ul>

Real-World Example: 🍎➡️🌳 Think of an apple tree. In spring, when leaves are just budding, sugars might move from older parts of the tree to these young leaves to help them grow. But by summer, when those leaves are mature and producing a lot of sugar through photosynthesis, the sugars move the other way to help the apples grow and sweeten!

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Remember, plants are amazing sugar-sharing machines. Every time you bite into a sweet carrot or apple, remember the fantastic journey of sugars inside the plant! 🌿🍭🎉

Theme B - Form & Function

Unlocking Plant Vitality Phloem’s Role in Sap Translocation

Table of content

Intro🎤

Key terms 📚

The scoop on phloem 🍦

Unlock the Full Content!

Theme B - Form & Function

Unlocking Plant Vitality Phloem’s Role in Sap Translocation

Table of content

Intro🎤

Key terms 📚

The scoop on phloem 🍦

Unlock the Full Content!