Question

Material transport in plants is done with the help of conducting tissues,namely,xylem and phloem.
Give the role of each of the following conducting cells in this process.
a)Tracheida and Vessels
b)Companion cells and sieve tubes

Answer 1

The tracheids and vessel elements are the conducting cells of the xylem  Both of these cell types have elaborate secondary-wall thickenings and lose their cytoplasm at maturity; that is, they are dead when functional. Tracheids overlap each other, whereas vessel elements have open end walls and are arranged end to end to form a larger unit called a vessel. Other cell types present in the xylem include parenchyma cells, which are important for the storage of energy-rich molecules and phenolic compounds, and sclerenchyma fibers.