Video Transcript
Which vessel in the plant is
responsible for transporting sugars and amino acids?
Like animals, plants have vessels
that are responsible for transporting substances around the body to their different
organs. These vessels make up the plant
vascular, or transport, system. And they spread throughout the
plant from the roots through the stem and to the leaves and any other organs, like
flowers that are produced. The two key transport vessels in
plants include the xylem and the phloem. And they differ not only in their
structure, but also in the substances that they transport.
The xylem is responsible for
transporting water and dissolved mineral ions. These substances are usually
absorbed from soil and transported in a one-way flow up the plant from the roots
through the stem and to the leaves and other upper parts of the plant. The phloem is responsible for
transporting substances like sugars and amino acids, which are primarily produced in
the photosynthetic parts of the plant like its leaves. As sugars and amino acids are
needed in all parts of the plant, these substances are transported by the phloem
both up and down the plant stem to all of the plant organs that might require
them.
Now we can answer our question
correctly. The vessel in the plant that is
responsible for transporting sugars and amino acids is the phloem.
