The tubes that transport water and minerals upward in a plant are called ______.

The tubes that transport water and minerals upward in a plant are called ______.

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

Answer: (C)

Water and minerals move upward through xylem, a network of hollow, dead cells with thick lignified walls that form continuous tubes from roots to leaves. The movement is driven by transpiration, which creates a negative pressure pulling water upward, and is aided by cohesion between water molecules and adhesion to the xylem walls to keep the column intact. Phloem, by contrast, carries sugars and other nutrients in various directions, cambium is the growth layer that makes new xylem and phloem, and pith is a storage tissue in the stem. So the tubes that transport water and minerals upward are xylem.

Water and minerals move upward through xylem, a network of hollow, dead cells with thick lignified walls that form continuous tubes from roots to leaves. The movement is driven by transpiration, which creates a negative pressure pulling water upward, and is aided by cohesion between water molecules and adhesion to the xylem walls to keep the column intact. Phloem, by contrast, carries sugars and other nutrients in various directions, cambium is the growth layer that makes new xylem and phloem, and pith is a storage tissue in the stem. So the tubes that transport water and minerals upward are xylem.