Question

How are water and minerals transported in plants?

Answer 1

Hint: Xylem tissue conducts water and mineral nutrients from the soil upward in plant roots and stems. Xylem has four components—tracheids, vessels, parenchyma cells, and fibers.

Complete answer:
The vascular tissue xylem is responsible for transporting water and minerals in plants. In plants, transpiration creates a suction pressure, as a result of which water is forced into the xylem cells of the roots. This leads to a steady movement of water from the root xylem to all the plant parts.
Plants possess two transport systems to move food, water, and minerals through their roots, stems, and leaves. These systems use continuous tubes called xylem and phloem. The xylem cells in plants transport minerals and water from the soil to the leaves. These cells of the stem, roots, and leaves are interconnected forming a conducting channel reaching all plant parts. It is to be noted that the root cells obtain ions from the soil, which in turn results in the difference in the concentration of ions between the roots and soil. Hence, there is a continuous water movement into the xylem.

Transportation takes place in the following sequence:
i) Plants absorbed water through their roots continuously. This water is sent up through the stem to all parts of the plant, including the leaves.
ii) It is to be noted that a small amount of water is retained in the plant or utilized in the process of photosynthesis. The rest of the water evaporates into the atmosphere in the form of water vapour through the Stomata. This process is called transpiration.
iii) Transpiration creates a suction pressure which pulls up water from the xylem of the roots to the stem and then to the leaves.
iv) As the xylem tissues are narrower in its diameter, in the form of capillary tubes (tracheids and fibres), force is greater here.
v) Thus, it can be said that xylem plays an important role in the transportation of water and minerals once they absorb these and transport them to different plant parts.

Note:It is to be noted that the phloem (tissue) transports products of photosynthesis from the leaves, where they are synthesized to other parts of the plant. Xylem and phloem are together known as vascular bundles.