Vascular plants have specialized structures called xylem that transport water efficiently from the roots to the leaves, allowing them to grow taller and support larger structures. This vascular system enables these plants to thrive in various environments and reach significant heights, as they can effectively move water and nutrients over long distances. In contrast, nonvascular plants, such as mosses, lack this system and primarily rely on diffusion and osmosis to absorb water directly through their cells. This limitation restricts nonvascular plants to shorter heights, as they cannot maintain sufficient water supply for taller structures, ultimately affecting their morphology and habitat preferences.
The cells in vascular and nonvascular plantss are both able to get water, but nonvascular plants have different methods than vascular plants. How do these differences affect the height of the plants? In three to five sentences, explain this and be sure to describe how each type of plant gets water or its cells.
1 answer