Transportation in Plants and Animals

The survival of living organisms is impossible without food, water and oxygen. They need to transport all these essentials to different parts of their body. At the same time, living organisms need to transport wastes to parts from where they can be eliminated.

Transport of Substances in Plants

The roots of the plants absorb water and mineral nutrients from the soil and transport them to the leaves. The leaves use water, carbon dioxide, and sunlight to prepare food for the plants. This process is called photosynthesis.

Water & Mineral Transportation: Plant roots have root hairs that enhance their surface area for the absorption of water and minerals nutrients.

Tissues in living beings (plants)

A group of similar cells is called a tissue. Tissues perform specific functions in a living organism. Plants have vessels to transport water and minerals from the soil. These pipe-like vessels are composed of special cells, forming the vascular tissue. The vascular tissues that perform the transportation of water and minerals in plants are known as Xylem and Phloem.

1.  Xylem: The vascular tissue responsible for the movement of water and mineral nutrients in the plant is known as Xylem. It connects the roots and the leaves through a network of continuous channels via stem and branches. Therefore, it helps to transport water and minerals to all the parts of a plant.
2. Phloem: The vascular tissue that transports food from leaves to different parts of a plant body is called Phloem.

Transpiration

The surface of leaves has minute openings called stomata. These openings help the water to evaporate. This process is called transpiration. Transpiration exerts a force that enables a plant to transport the absorbed water to leaves via stem and branches. It also helps to decrease the temperature of plants. 

Circulatory System in Animals

Hydra, Sponges and some other animals do not possess any circulatory system. These are aquatic animals. Food and oxygen are supplied to them directly via water. The water carries away carbon dioxide and waste materials as it moves out. Therefore, these animals can survive without blood or any other circulatory fluid.

Excretion process in animals

Waste products are released when cells perform certain functions. As these products are toxic, they need to be detached from the body. During excretion in animals, waste products are expelled through a process called excretion. The excretory system consists of the parts that aid in the process of the removal of waste products.

Animals remove the waste products from their body through a process that relies on water. For example, fishes and other aquatic animals remove waste in the form of ammonia that gets dissolved in water directly.

Snakes, birds, lizards, and some other land creatures expel a white-coloured semi-solid material which is known as uric acid. It gets mixed with the soil and increases its fertility.

Conclusion

All living beings require food, water and oxygen for their survival and to perform various activities. Food we consume is digested into simple absorbable substances called as nutrients in the digestive system.

The circulatory system helps in the transport of nutrients in the glucose, amino acids and fats to different parts of the body. Every cell receives absorbed nutrients through the circulating fluid tissue called blood.

Excretory system is responsible for the removal of waste from different parts of the body. Every cell releases its waste material into the blood to be carried over to excretory organs for expulsion.

Plants and animals, both being living things, have an arrangement of physical structures that move various substances all across their body. Such arrangement mainly acts as a transport system facilitating the movement of water, minerals, nutrients, etc. that are crucial for the survival of that organism.