Which tissue is responsible for transporting water and minerals from roots to shoots?

Which tissue is responsible for transporting water and minerals from roots to shoots?

• A. Phloem
• B. Cortex
• C. Epidermis
• D. Xylem

Answer: (D)

Water and mineral transport from roots to shoots is carried by xylem, a vascular tissue made of hollow, dead cells with lignified walls that form continuous tubes from the roots upward. Water moves into the root xylem and is pulled upward by transpiration from the leaves, creating a negative pressure that draws more water up the column. The water molecules stick together (cohesion) and to the walls of the xylem (adhesion), helping to sustain this ascent even against gravity. Root pressure can contribute locally, but it isn’t the main driver of upward transport. The phloem moves sugars and other organic nutrients, not water and minerals upward; the cortex is ground tissue involved in storage and lateral transport, and the epidermis is the outer protective layer. Thus, xylem is the tissue responsible for transporting water and minerals from roots to shoots.

Water and mineral transport from roots to shoots is carried by xylem, a vascular tissue made of hollow, dead cells with lignified walls that form continuous tubes from the roots upward. Water moves into the root xylem and is pulled upward by transpiration from the leaves, creating a negative pressure that draws more water up the column. The water molecules stick together (cohesion) and to the walls of the xylem (adhesion), helping to sustain this ascent even against gravity. Root pressure can contribute locally, but it isn’t the main driver of upward transport. The phloem moves sugars and other organic nutrients, not water and minerals upward; the cortex is ground tissue involved in storage and lateral transport, and the epidermis is the outer protective layer. Thus, xylem is the tissue responsible for transporting water and minerals from roots to shoots.