EVERYDAY SCIENCE

Detailed explanation-1: -The xylem transports water and minerals from the roots up the plant stem and into the leaves. In a mature flowering plant or tree, most of the cells that make up the xylem are specialised cells called vessels.

Detailed explanation-2: -Typical leaves are attached to the plant stem by a petiole, though there are also leaves that attach directly to the plant stem. The vascular tissue (xylem and phloem) run through veins in the leaf, which also provide structural support.

Detailed explanation-3: -Phloem transports food from leaf to other parts of the plant.

Detailed explanation-4: -Cells in the mesophyll of the leaf have numerous chloroplasts. In leaves, cells in the mesophyll (the tissue between the upper and lower epidermis) are uniquely suited to carry out photosynthesis on a large scale. This is due to their high concentration of chloroplasts, which are the sites of photosynthesis.

Detailed explanation-5: -Stomata, through which CO2 and water vapor diffuse into and out of the leaf, are involved in the regulation and control of photosynthetic and transpiration responses (Jarvis and Morison, 1981; Farquhar and Sharkey, 1982).