Concept:Plant vascular tissues each perform a distinct transport role, and xylem is the one specialised for water and mineral movement.
Explanation:The roots absorb water and dissolved mineral salts from the soil.
These substances must reach all above-ground parts, so they move continuously upward through the plant.
Xylem is the complex tissue that carries out this transport.
It contains tracheids and vessel elements, which are dead, hollow cells arranged end to end into long tubes.
These tubes offer a continuous pathway through the root, stem, and into the leaves.
The upward flow is powered by transpiration pull and root pressure.
The epidermis, by contrast, is only the protective external layer.
Parenchyma is ground tissue involved in storage, photosynthesis, and healing, not transport.
Phloem transports food substances such as sucrose, not water and minerals.
Answer:A. Xylem