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A student immerses the roots of a young tomato plant in a solution containing a blue dye. After 30 minutes, they cut a thin cross-section of the root and observe under a microscope. They see that the dye is present in the cell walls of the cortex but stops abruptly at the endodermis, with no dye visible in the xylem.
(a) Compare the apoplast and symplast pathways for the transport of water from root hairs to the xylem. In your answer, explain the role of the Casparian strip in the endodermis.