Question & Answer » Biology Questions » How are Water and Minerals Transported in Plants

How are Water and Minerals Transported in Plants

Answer: The Xylem tissue transports moisture from the ground to the leaves. The root hairs collect moisture from the ground, as well as the water is transferred to the leaves by osmosis through tissues xylem.

Xylem

Minerals & water are transferred first from soil towards the leaves via xylem cells in plants. Mineral salts inside the soil are taken up by plants via their roots and then transferred upward with rainwater through the xylem. The stems, roots, & leaves all have linked xylem cells that form a conducting path that reaches all plant components. The root cells absorb ions from the soil, resulting in an ion concentration differential between both the roots as well as the soil.

Osmosis in Plants

Osmosis creates osmotic pressure, which allows water & minerals to move from one cell to the other. Transpiration results in a constant water loss and a vacuum pressure created by a liquid being driven into the xylem tissue of the roots.

Transportation from roots

The roots distribute water to every area of the plant. Below is the procedure for transportation:

  • These plants continually absorb a considerable amount of water. All components of the plant, such as the leaves, receive this moisture via the stem
  • Only a small quantity of water is stored or used by the plants in photosynthesis. It evaporates as vapour into the sky via the stomata found in the epidermal of the leaves as well as other aerial portions of the plants
  •  This causes a pressure gradient, which pushes water up from the root vascular tissue to the stem, & subsequently to the leaves

As a result, the xylem can be considered to play a significant role in the water movement and nutrients once they have been absorbed and transported to other plant sections.