Which tissue carries water and nutrients upward from the roots?

Which tissue carries water and nutrients upward from the roots?

• A. Phloem
• B. Cambium
• C. Xylem
• D. Lenticels

Answer: (C)

The tissue that moves water and minerals upward from the roots is xylem. Xylem is made of hollow, dead cells with thick, lignified walls that form continuous tubes from roots to leaves, allowing a vertical water column to travel through the plant. Water moves upward mainly because of the pull created by transpiration in the leaves, aided by the cohesion of water molecules and their adhesion to the xylem walls; root pressure can also help push water up when conditions are right. Phloem, in contrast, transports sugars and other organic nutrients mainly from where they’re produced to where they’re needed, not in a one-way upward flow. Cambium is a growth tissue involved in widening the stem, and lenticels are small pores for gas exchange, not transport tissues.

The tissue that moves water and minerals upward from the roots is xylem. Xylem is made of hollow, dead cells with thick, lignified walls that form continuous tubes from roots to leaves, allowing a vertical water column to travel through the plant. Water moves upward mainly because of the pull created by transpiration in the leaves, aided by the cohesion of water molecules and their adhesion to the xylem walls; root pressure can also help push water up when conditions are right. Phloem, in contrast, transports sugars and other organic nutrients mainly from where they’re produced to where they’re needed, not in a one-way upward flow. Cambium is a growth tissue involved in widening the stem, and lenticels are small pores for gas exchange, not transport tissues.