Transport in plants

Question 1

State the functions of xylem and phloem

Answer 1

xylem – transport of water and mineral ions, and support
phloem – transport of sucrose and amino
acids

Question 2

What is the structure of the xylem

Answer 2

thick walls with lignin (details of lignification
are not required)
no cell contents
cells joined end to end with no cross walls to form a long continuous tube

Question 3

What is the function of the root hair cell

Answer 3

To absorb water and minerals from the soil

They have an elongated shape for a larger surface area, which increases water absorption rate by osmosis and ions by active transport.

Question 4

What is the pathway taken by water

Answer 4

Water enters root hair cells from moist soil via osmosis because water potential is higher in soil than in the cytoplasm.

Then it enters into the root cortex cells, xylem, and lastly, the mesophyll cells.

Question 5

What is transpiration

Answer 5

loss of water vapour from leaves, and it
evaporates from the surface of the mesophyll cells into the air spaces and diffuses out of the leaves through the stomata