Explain an activity to show that stem conducts water and other substances.

To demonstrate that stems conduct water and other substances, you can set up a simple experiment using celery stalks and food coloring. Here’s how you can do it:

Materials Needed:
Fresh celery stalks with leaves intact
Food coloring (preferably a dark color like red or blue)
Clear glasses or containers
Water
Knife or scissors for cutting celery stalks
Procedure:
Prepare the Celery Stalks:

Cut the bottom of each celery stalk at an angle to help water absorption.
Split the celery stalks lengthwise into two or three parts, leaving the leaves attached.
Fill Glasses with Water:

Take two or more glasses or containers and fill them with water.
Add a different color of food coloring to each glass. This will help visualize the movement of water through the celery.
Submerge Celery Stalks:

Place each split celery stalk into a different colored glass of water, ensuring that the cut ends are fully submerged.
Observe and Wait:

Leave the celery stalks in the water for several hours or overnight.
As the water travels up the celery stalk, you should observe the color of the water rising through the stem and into the leaves.
Explanation:
Capillary Action: The movement of water up the celery stalks is due to capillary action. Capillary action is the ability of water to move upwards in narrow tubes or channels, like the tiny vessels (xylem) in plants.
Visualization of Transport: By adding food coloring to the water, you can see how the colored water moves up through the stem and into the leaves. This demonstrates that stems (specifically xylem tissue) transport water and nutrients from the roots to the rest of the plant.
This experiment is a visual and hands-on way to understand how stems function in conducting water and other substances throughout a plant.