Final answer:
Plants move water by utilizing water potential, a concept that is influenced by factors such as solute concentration, pressure, gravity, and matric potential. This allows the plant to move water upwards, overcoming gravity through processes like osmosis and transpiration, assisted by the plant's xylem and phloem.
Step-by-step explanation:
Plants are capable of moving water up and against gravity due to water potential. This movement of water is vital for plant life, allowing for processes such as photosynthesis and the transportation of nutrients. Water potential in plants is influenced by solute concentration, pressure, gravity, and matric potential, with water generally moving from an area of higher water potential to one of lower water potential. Osmotic pressure acts as a main driving force for the absorption of water into the plant roots and its subsequent movement upwards.
The transport system within plants is made up of the xylem and phloem. The xylem is primarily responsible for the transport of water and minerals, whereas the phloem is used for the distribution of photosynthates, like sucrose, from sources to sinks within the plant. Gravity potential is typically negative, acting against the upward movement of water, yet plants manage to utilize these potentials effectively to transport water even to great heights.
Additionally, plant structures and processes like transpiration and the regulation of stomatal openings contribute to how effectively water and nutrients are transported within a plant. Stomatal opening and closing help to regulate the rate of transpiration and water uptake, playing a part in the overall water potential and transport systems within the plant.