okay so we want to do a quick video on the adaptation of the xylem vessels in transporting water and minerals there are three main adaptations that you have to know about the xylem vessels in their structure and how it helps them transport water and minerals the first one that we have to talk about is something called the hard liquified walls to prevent collapse when under tension we have a lot of things to explain here the first thing is we have to talk about tension uh and we also have to cover collapse tension happens when the water at the top of the xylem leaves the xylem vessels because it enters the leaf and thus it creates a low pressure at the top and when it creates a low pressure at the top we will say that the xylem vessel is under tension so why is this a big problem if the xyum vessel is under tension imagine a straw okay if you have a straw and you suck on on the straw you will also create a low pressure at the top of the straw as as I'm showing it to you and if you were to put a finger uh at the bottom and just cover the bottom of the straw what will actually happen is the straw will start to collapse the wall of the straw will move inwards so when the wall of the uh straw collapses the water will not be able to move up the straw anymore no matter how much you try to suck on it right so in this ISE what we will just say that is the STW collapses and the same concept can also happen in the xylem especially because the pressure at the top can become extremely low it will be under great tension but will the xylm wall actually collapse the answer is no it will not collapse because the liquified wall is strong and rigid it is not as flimy as like the plastic walls of the straw so there is no risk of the xylem vessel actually collapsing under tension at all so the plants do not have to worry about that happening the second thing that xylem vessels also have are pits and pits if you remember are just the unlignified areas where is just the cellulose wall where I've highlighted in green and pits are also important within the xylem vessels to allow lateral movement of water and minerals what I mean by that is sometimes within the xylm vessels blockages may occur for many reasons maybe an infection happens in the plant fungi starts growing inside the xylem vessel so as you can see I've highlighted some gray areas over there and in that gray area the xylem vessel is blocked so the water is going up the xylem vessel and the water and minerals will not be able to move upwards anymore due to the block but the the plant does not have to worry in this case because the water can just move sideways through the pit enter another xylon vessel and continue moving upwards that is what is meant by lateral movement of water and minerals and the third very important thing is the fact that the xylem vessel is a hollow and empty vessel which means to say there's no protoplast blocking the pathway of the water and minerals imagine if I'm just drawing out three plant cells here you can see the water and minerals moving through the cell by osmosis but the the substances will have difficulty because the protoplast which is the living parts of the cell the cytoplasms cell membrane organel they will impede the movement of water and minerals that means the water and minerals can move upwards but they'll have great difficulty moving upwards because there's a lot of resistance but because the xylem vessel is hollow the water and minerals will not have any resistance in moving upwards whatsoever so these are the three main adaptations of the xylem vessel in of the xylem vessel in transporting water and minerals