AP BIOLOGY

Detailed explanation-1: -One of the important properties of water is the ability to dissolve other substances. Water is considered a universal solvent because it is very abundant on earth and is capable of dissolving much of the known substances. Because of this, water is able to carry minerals and nutrients.

Detailed explanation-2: -Molecules dissolve in water because of the hydrogen and oxygen molecules ability to loosely bond with other molecules. Molecules of water (H2O) surround substances, suspending them in a sea of water molecules. The solvent action of water allows for substances to be more readily transported.

Detailed explanation-3: -Xylem transports water, minerals, and nutrients from the soil to all the plant parts. There are two types of “transport” tissues in plants-xylem and phloem. Water and solutes are transported by the xylem from the roots to the leaves, and food is transported from the leaves to the rest of the plant by the phloem.

Detailed explanation-4: -Water molecules have a polar arrangement of oxygen and hydrogen atoms-one side (hydrogen) has a positive electrical charge and the other side (oxygen) had a negative charge. This allows the water molecule to become attracted to many other different types of molecules.

Detailed explanation-5: -Water is called a ‘universal solvent’ because water can dissolve much more substances than any other liquid found in nature but water cannot dissolve every substance.