Question

Based on the result of this calculation, is capillary action likely to be the sole mechanism of water and nutrient transport in plants? Explain. a. Yes, because evaporation of water from the leaves will provide the energy to lift water within the plant through capillary action. b. No, many plants are much taller than 0.3 m. c. Yes, because all vascular plants have capillary tubes within them. d. No, unrealistically narrower tubes would be needed for taller plants. e. No, the capillary tube in the example is already unrealistically wide and wider tubes would be needed for taller plants

Answer 1

Capillary action is not the sole mechanism of water and nutrient transport in plants because narrower tubes would be needed for taller plants.

Step-by-step explanation:

The answer to the question is d. No, unrealistically narrower tubes would be needed for taller plants.

Capillary action is the process by which water moves against gravity in narrow tubes, such as the xylem vessels in plants. However, as plants grow taller, the water needs to be transported to greater heights, which would require narrower tubes to maintain the same level of capillary action. This is unrealistic, as the tubes would become too narrow to function effectively.

Therefore, capillary action is not likely to be the sole mechanism of water and nutrient transport in plants. Other mechanisms, such as transpiration and the cohesion-tension theory, are also involved in long-distance water movement in plants.

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