What will happen if xylem tissue of a plant gets damaged in a branch of tree? Also briefly explain the transport of water and minerals in plants?
if the xylem tissue is damaged than the transporatation of water and mineral will stop and ultimately the tree will die.
The plants take in water (containing dissolved minerals) from the soil through their roots. This water (containing minerals) called xylem sap is carried by the xylem vessels to all the parts of the plant. This happens as follows: The roots of a plant have hair called root hairs. The function of root hairs is to absorb water and minerals from the soil.
The root hairs are directly in contact with the film of water in-between the soil particles. Water (and dissolved minerals) gets into the root hairs by the process of diffusion. The water and minerals absorbed by the root hair from the soil pass from cell to cell by osmosis through the epidermis, root cortex, endodermis and reach the root xylem.
The xylem vessels of the root of the plant are connected to the xylem vessels of its stem. So, the water (containing dissolved minerals) enters from the root xylem vessels into stem xylem vessels. The xylem vessels of the stem branch into the leaves of the plants. So, the water and minerals carried by the xylem vessels in the stem reach the leaves through the branched xylem vessels which enter from the petiole (stalk of the leaf) into each and every part of the leaf.
In this way, the water and minerals from the soil reach through the root and stem to the leaves of the plant. Only about 1 to 2 per cent of the water absorbed by the plant is used up by the plant in photosynthesis and other metabolic activities. The rest of water is lost as water vapour to the air through transpiration.
Water is sucked up by the Xylem Vessels:
Water moves up into xylem vessels in the same way that a cold drink moves up a straw when we suck at the upper end of the straw. Now, when we suck a straw, we are reducing the pressure at the top of the straw. The cold drink at the bottom of the straw is at a higher pressure (which is atmospheric pressure), so the cold drink flows up the straw into our mouth.
The same thing happens with the water in the xylem vessels. The pressure at the top of the xylem vessels (in the leaves) is lowered whereas the pressure at bottom of the xylem vessels remains high. Due to this water flows up the xylem a vessel into the leaves. An important question now arises: How is the pressure at the top of the xylem vessels reduced? The pressure at the top of xylem vessels in a plant is reduced due to transpiration. This is discussed below:
The evaporation of water from the leaves of a plant is called transpiration. The leaves of a plant have tiny pores on their surface which are called stomata. A lot of water from the leaves keeps on evaporating into the air through the stomata.
This loss of water (as water vapour) from the leaves of a plant is called transpiration. Since the cells of the leaf are losing water by transpiration, so water from the xylem vessel in the leaf will travel to the cells by osmosis to make up this loss of water.
Thus, water is constantly being taken away from the top of the xylem vessels in the leaves to supply it to the cells in the leaves, reduces the effective pressure at the top of the xylem vessels, so that water flows up into them (from the soil).
Thus, the continuous evaporation of water (or transpiration) from the cells of a leaf creates a kind of suction which pulls up water through the xylem vessels. In this way, the process of transpiration helps in the upward movement of water (and dissolved minerals) from the roots to the leaves through the stem.
The plants take in water (containing dissolved minerals) from the soil through their roots. This water (containing minerals) called xylem sap is carried by the xylem vessels to all the parts of the plant. This happens as follows: The roots of a plant have hair called root hairs. The function of root hairs is to absorb water and minerals from the soil.
The root hairs are directly in contact with the film of water in-between the soil particles. Water (and dissolved minerals) gets into the root hairs by the process of diffusion. The water and minerals absorbed by the root hair from the soil pass from cell to cell by osmosis through the epidermis, root cortex, endodermis and reach the root xylem.
The xylem vessels of the root of the plant are connected to the xylem vessels of its stem. So, the water (containing dissolved minerals) enters from the root xylem vessels into stem xylem vessels. The xylem vessels of the stem branch into the leaves of the plants. So, the water and minerals carried by the xylem vessels in the stem reach the leaves through the branched xylem vessels which enter from the petiole (stalk of the leaf) into each and every part of the leaf.
In this way, the water and minerals from the soil reach through the root and stem to the leaves of the plant. Only about 1 to 2 per cent of the water absorbed by the plant is used up by the plant in photosynthesis and other metabolic activities. The rest of water is lost as water vapour to the air through transpiration.
Water is sucked up by the Xylem Vessels:
Water moves up into xylem vessels in the same way that a cold drink moves up a straw when we suck at the upper end of the straw. Now, when we suck a straw, we are reducing the pressure at the top of the straw. The cold drink at the bottom of the straw is at a higher pressure (which is atmospheric pressure), so the cold drink flows up the straw into our mouth.
The same thing happens with the water in the xylem vessels. The pressure at the top of the xylem vessels (in the leaves) is lowered whereas the pressure at bottom of the xylem vessels remains high. Due to this water flows up the xylem a vessel into the leaves. An important question now arises: How is the pressure at the top of the xylem vessels reduced? The pressure at the top of xylem vessels in a plant is reduced due to transpiration. This is discussed below:
The evaporation of water from the leaves of a plant is called transpiration. The leaves of a plant have tiny pores on their surface which are called stomata. A lot of water from the leaves keeps on evaporating into the air through the stomata.
This loss of water (as water vapour) from the leaves of a plant is called transpiration. Since the cells of the leaf are losing water by transpiration, so water from the xylem vessel in the leaf will travel to the cells by osmosis to make up this loss of water.
Thus, water is constantly being taken away from the top of the xylem vessels in the leaves to supply it to the cells in the leaves, reduces the effective pressure at the top of the xylem vessels, so that water flows up into them (from the soil).
Thus, the continuous evaporation of water (or transpiration) from the cells of a leaf creates a kind of suction which pulls up water through the xylem vessels. In this way, the process of transpiration helps in the upward movement of water (and dissolved minerals) from the roots to the leaves through the stem.
