Translocation of Solutes

Travelling Up With the Water Stream

Once a plant's roots have absorbed mineral salts, the minerals do not stay put — they need to be carried to every part of the plant that needs them. This transport happens through the xylem, the same tissue that carries the upward stream of water pulled through the plant by transpirational pull. As water moves up from the roots to the leaves, it carries the dissolved mineral ions along with it, so absorbed minerals travel through exactly the same channel as the transpiration stream.

Evidence for Xylem Transport …