Name: Transport of Water in Plants
Uploaded: 2019-07-19
Duration: 4 min 42 s
Description: Plants need water. The water transport system in plants is like a canal system. Explore this transport system from the root hair to the various parts of the...

Question

Explain why xylem transport is unidirectional and phloem transport bi-directional.

Accepted Answer

Xylem is a water-conducting tissue of plants. The transportation of water via. xylem is unidirectional because of two major forces namely; transpirational pull and positive root pressure. Transpiration creates negative pressure, while root pressure is positive that pushes water from the roots upwards to the stem.

Transportation of phloem is bi-directional because sucrose accumulates in phloem tissues and absorb water which causes a high turgor pressure. Hence, water flows from regions of high turgor pressure to low turgor pressure and therefore, the directions of food can be upwards or downwards from the leaves based on the gradient.

Explain why xylem transport is unidirectional and phloem transport bi-directional.

Important Questions on Transport in Plants

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