Which vascular tissue is responsible for the transport of nutrients and the carbohydrates produced by photosynthesis?

Which vascular tissue is responsible for the transport of nutrients and the carbohydrates produced by photosynthesis?

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

Answer: (A)

Phloem is the vascular tissue that carries the sugars and other nutrients produced during photosynthesis from the leaves to the rest of the plant. This bulk transport, or translocation, moves sucrose and other assimilates from sources (where they are produced or stored) to sinks (where they are used or stored), through living sieve-tube elements aided by companion cells. The movement is driven by pressure differences generated as solutes are actively loaded into the phloem at source sites and unloaded at sink sites. In contrast, xylem transports water and dissolved minerals upward from the roots and is made of dead cells that form a rigid conduit, not a carrier for sugars. Cortex and pith are ground tissues involved in storage and support, not long-distance transport. So the tissue responsible for moving nutrients and the carbohydrates produced by photosynthesis is the phloem.

Phloem is the vascular tissue that carries the sugars and other nutrients produced during photosynthesis from the leaves to the rest of the plant. This bulk transport, or translocation, moves sucrose and other assimilates from sources (where they are produced or stored) to sinks (where they are used or stored), through living sieve-tube elements aided by companion cells. The movement is driven by pressure differences generated as solutes are actively loaded into the phloem at source sites and unloaded at sink sites.

In contrast, xylem transports water and dissolved minerals upward from the roots and is made of dead cells that form a rigid conduit, not a carrier for sugars. Cortex and pith are ground tissues involved in storage and support, not long-distance transport. So the tissue responsible for moving nutrients and the carbohydrates produced by photosynthesis is the phloem.