BRAINCAKEAdhesion and Capillarity
As well as being attracted to each other (cohesion), water molecules are attracted to other substances. This is called adhesion.
The walls of xylem vessels contain cellulose, which is hydrophilic. Water molecules form hydrogen bonds with the cellulose, so water adheres to the vessel walls. Adhesion helps the water column to cling to the walls, supporting it against the pull of gravity and helping to stop the column breaking away from the walls.
Capillarity is the rise of water up a narrow tube. It happens because of adhesion and cohesion working together:
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More in Transport in Plants
- Symplast Pathway
- Apoplast Pathway
- Transpiration
- Cohesion-Tension Theory
- Modelling Transpiration
- Measuring the Rate of Water Uptake
- Factors Affecting Transpiration
- Root Pressure
All 21 lessons in Transport in Plants · All Edexcel AS-level Biology topics