Question 5: How is food transported in plants?
Answer:
Food transportation occurs by the phloem in the plants. Transportation of food is a downward movement and is the active process. Phloem is composed of mainly four components- sieve tube elements mainly for sugar transport, companion cells carry all metabolic functions of sieve tubes, phloem fibres provide tension strength and phloem parenchyma cells helps in transfer of food also called transfer cells. Transportation of food in the form of organic solutes from one place to another place in the higher plants are known as translocation process. In this, carbohydrates are translocated from leaves to the roots and then in the storage organs like tubers, bulbs, fruits etc. along to the phloem in the form of sugar (sucrose). They are transported through the sieve elements of the phloem and this translocation needs the metabolic energy to transport the food. They use this metabolic energy in the form of ATP food in the form of organic solutes loaded into the sieve elements of the phloem vascular tissue and by the process of osmosis water enters in the sieve tubes that raise the pressure in the phloem and then the food is transported to the parts of the plants. Transportation of food movement involves along the turgor pressure gradient that is induced by maintained gradient of water potential; and the flow of organic solutes takes place from the high concentration to the lower concentration, i.e, from leaves to the roots and the organs.
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