Why Are Xylem Vessels Made Of Dead Cells??

summerrsunshine

need serious help here lol

Reply 1

Tyraell

Howdy!

As far as I know, it's to do with the fact that cells have to become lignified when forming xylem vessels. However, I'm not sure why this causes them to die. I would guess at the fact that it makes the cell wall impermeable and consequently the cells cannot obtain needed particles etc., but I'm not certain.

Hope that helps a little!

Reply 2

Wangers

the Xylem consists of NON - LIVING material, it was never alive and hence cannot be dead.

Reply 3

Stranded

A big reason is that they must be hollow. Unlike veins etc. where many cells make up a wider vessel wall, in the case of xylem, single rodlike cells become the miniscule tubes. For this to happen, the cell inside the cell wall dies and shrivels, allowing the tubelike cell walls left behind (where most of the cell's structural strength lies) to conduct water upward by capillary action.

Reply 4

summerrsunshine

ok thx for all the help!! :biggrin:

Reply 5

lydiaftw

Yeah that's pretty much it with both of them.

The lignin in the walls prevents much from diffusing into or out of the cell except via the small pits that remain, so not much can enter or leave, and as progressively more and more lignin builds up (strengthening the vessel) theres less ability for anything inside the cell to survive.

Also, they need to be hollow to allow water to pass up them; organelles get in the way especially vacuoles. So they have to be empty thus dead for that.

Thirdly, the ends break down forming a continuous vessel, so if the xylem elements were alive they'd be in a bit of trouble.