Cambridge O Level Biology · Syllabus 5090 · Transport in Flowering Plants
Translocation
What is Translocation?
The movement of sucrose and amino acids in the phloem, from regions of production or release, called sources, to regions of use or storage, called sinks. Phloem is living transport tissue, and because the direction of movement depends on where the source and the sink lie, translocation may carry solutes upwards, downwards, or in both directions in the same plant at the same time. A single organ can be a sink at one stage of the life cycle and a source at another.
This definition is part of the Transport in Flowering Plants chapter in Cambridge O Level Biology.
Questions students ask about Translocation
What is the difference between transpiration and translocation?
Transpiration is the loss of water vapour from leaves, and it drives the movement of water and mineral ions upward in the xylem. Translocation is the movement of sucrose and amino acids in the phloem, from a source that makes or releases them to a sink that uses or stores them, and it can travel in either direction.