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Plants are classified depending on several criteria and one amongst these classifications lies in the presence or absence of the vascular system. Generally, a vascular plant consists of features that specifically help in the absorption of water and minerals from the soil. They consist of specialized tissues like the xylem and the phloem.
Xylem and Phloem
Xylem and phloem are two different kinds of vascular tissues that are involved mainly in the process of transportation. These tissues tend to form a vascular bundle and they work together in the form of a single unit. Xylem possesses a unidirectional movement whereas phloem possesses a bidirectional movement.
Let us now understand and find the difference between xylem and phloem.
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Difference Between Xylem and Phloem Tissue
|
Parameter |
Xylem |
Phloem |
|
Meaning |
Xylem is the complex tissue of plants that helps in the transportation of water and nutrients in the plant. |
Phloem refers to the living tissue which helps in the transportation of food and organic materials in the plant. |
|
Type of Cell |
It consists of dead cells but with an exception of parenchyma. |
It mostly contains living cells. |
|
Materials |
Xylem consists of fibers, xylem vessels, and tracheids. |
Phloem consists of phloem fibers, phloem parenchyma, sieve cells, sieve tubes, and companion cells. |
|
Location |
The xylem is located deeply in the plant in the center of the vascular bundle. |
The phloem is located on the outermost side of the vascular bundle of the plant. |
|
Mechanical Support |
Xylem offers mechanical support. |
Phloem does not offer any mechanical support. |
|
Type of Movement |
Xylem is unidirectional. |
Phloem is bidirectional. |
|
Xylem and Phloem functioning |
The xylem helps in the transportation of both water and minerals from the roots. |
The phloem helps in the transportation of food that is prepared by the green parts of the plants. |
|
Proportion of Plant |
Xylem mostly contains the bulk of the plant body. |
Phloem consists of a small portion of the plant body. |
|
Conducting Cells |
The conducting cells in the xylem is dead. |
The conducting cells in the phloem are living. |
Let us explain the difference between xylem and phloem in detail.
Xylem
The cells of the xylem tend to form long tubes that function to transport the materials. Also, the xylem sap is the mixture of both water and nutrients which flow through the xylem cells. The transportation of both these substances occurs via passive transport without any energy.
The capillary action is the phenomenon that helps in facilitating the upward flow of the xylem sap against the gravitational force. Also, capillary action occurs whenever the liquid tends to move in the upward direction because of the surface tension. Furthermore, the xylem helps in the movement of the water when it adheres to the xylem cells.
The Xylem contains different kinds of cells. Also, tracheids are the long cells that help in facilitating the xylem sap transportation apart from providing support structurally. However, the vessel elements are much shorter and help in the conduction of water. Furthermore, the xylem consists of parenchyma which refers to a tissue that contains mostly the softer parts of the plant.
Phloem
Phloem aids in the movement of the photoassimilates via the system of translocation, generally in the form of sucrose and proteins. Also, this type of movement occurs in the leaves to the other parts of the plant.
Since there is a higher concentration of organic substances present inside the cells, an osmotic gradient occurs. Also, the water gets drawn out passively from the xylem that is adjacent. High turgor pressure is created and sugar solution occurs inside the phloem that causes essential substances to move across different parts of the plant.
The phloem structure consists of different components like sieve tubes, sieve cells, parenchyma, sclerenchyma, and companion cells. Also, these components tend to work together for assisting the conduction of sugars and amino acids. This type of conduction occurs from the source to the sink tissues.
Importance of Xylem and Phloem
The vascular tissues of the plant Xylem and phloem are very important tissues of the plant because of which the water and food are transferred from one part to other parts of the plant. In the xylem tissues, all the dissolved compounds are transferred from roots to stems and in the phloem tissue, the food is transported from leaves where the photosynthesis takes place to other parts like roots and stem which are non-photosynthesis parts of the plant.
Therefore these two tissues are very important for the survival of the plant without which the plant cannot live. Like in human beings, food and water are very important to live similarly in the plants. Food and water are needed by each and every part of the plant without which survival is impossible.
Students should know the difference between Xylem and Phloem to prepare this chapter well for the examination. They can gain knowledge about the important questions from ’s experts that provide the best guidance to the students to understand the important topics that can be asked in the examination. The questions prepared by are according to the frequently asked questions in the last examinations and it is also according to the latest syllabus issued by the board and the latest guidelines for the answering patterns. The solutions provided by help you to get knowledge about how to frame your answers to score extra marks.