Plant Transport System Vocabulary

Vocabulary terms and definitions related to the plant transport system, covering tissues, processes, and plant structures.

Translocation

The transport of soluble food material from one part of a plant to another.

Guard cell

One of two specialized cells that border a stoma and regulate gas exchange and water loss.

Stoma (plural: stomata)

Tiny opening or pores in plant tissue that allow for gas exchange.

Phloem

The tissue in vascular plants that conducts sugar and other metabolic products downward from the leaves.

Transpiration

The process where plants absorb water through the roots and then give off water vapor through pores in their leaves.

Root Pressure

The upward push of sap in the xylem of vascular plants, resulting from osmotic pressure in the roots.

Capillary action

The ability of a liquid to flow in narrow spaces without the assistance of, or even in opposition to, external forces like gravity.

Sieve Tube

A series of elongated cells in phloem, through which food materials are transported in vascular plants.

Vascular Bundle

A strand of conducting vessels in the stem or leaves of a plant typically with phloem on the outside and xylem on the inside.

Xylem

The tissue in vascular plants that conducts water and dissolved nutrients upward from the root and also helps to form the woody elements in the stem.

Plants

Multicellular, eukaryotic organisms belonging to the kingdom Plantae, characterized by their ability to produce their own food through photosynthesis using sunlight, water, and carbon dioxide.

Transport

To transfer or convey from one place to another.

Roots (Function)

Absorb water and nutrients from the soil, anchor the plant in the ground and store food reserves.

Stems (Function)

Support the plant, transport water and nutrients, and produce leaf and flower.

Leaves (Function)

Produce food for the plant.