analysis of radioisotopic tracer flux experiments in plant tissues

Except in the case of giant algal cells where separate access to the cytoplasm and vacuole is possible, conventional methods of investigating the ion relations of plant tissues by the use of radioisotopic tracers involve assumptions about the distribution of the stable isotopes in the tissue. It is assumed that the tissue is in equilibrium with the bathing medium, or at least that it is in a quasi-steady state. The validity of these assumptions is rarely tested and often doubtful. This paper describes a modified approach to the analysis of tracer experiments with plant tissues and shows that information about the kinetics of ion transport can be obtained without the assumptions mentioned above.