Question

Name the living component common to both complex permanent tissues found in plants. What is its function?

Answer 1

Hint: Complex permanent tissues in plants are of two types, xylem and phloem. They are conducting tissues which carry out the transportation of water and minerals throughout the plant. Xylem transports water and phloem transports food material.

Complete answer:
Complex permanent tissues are made up of different types of cells. They are also called conducting tissues because they assist in the transportation of water and nutrients throughout the plant. There are two types of complex tissues, xylem and phloem.
Xylem transports water and nutrients from the roots to the leaves of the plants. It is made up of tracheid, vessels, xylem fiber and xylem parenchyma. Whereas, phloem is responsible for translocation of food from the leaves to the different parts of the plant. It is made up of sieve tubes, companion cells, phloem parenchyma and phloem fibers. Therefore, the common component in both xylem and phloem is parenchyma.
Parenchyma tissue is made up of thin-walled parenchyma cells. They are also called photosynthetic tissue as they have chloroplast and hence, take part in photosynthesis. Parenchyma is a living cell, and has a prominent nucleus. Their cell wall is made up of cellulose and hemicellulose. The parenchyma tissues are joined together by plasmodesmata. They have enough water in their vacuoles and hence acts as a water reservoir for the plants.

Functions of parenchyma
-They help in transportation of the nutrients, water and food content prepared in the green leaves.
-The aerenchyma, a type of parenchyma, helps in the gas exchange.
-They acquire the ability to divide and regenerate as they mature and thus, helps in wound healing.
-Parenchymatous cells have tiny spine-like projections which protect the plant from predators.
-They help in photosynthesis and also act as water reservoirs.

Note: Parenchyma cells are also present in humans. They are either functional parts of organs or present in tumors. They are present in the brain, liver, kidneys, and lungs. These cells become active as they mature. They also make up the endoplasm of the protozoans.