Biology STAAR Practice Test 2025 - Free State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness Practice Questions and Study Guide

The correct answer is vascular plants because these plants possess specialized tissues known as xylem and phloem, which are essential for their growth and survival. Xylem is responsible for the transport of water and dissolved minerals from the roots to the rest of the plant, while phloem transports the products of photosynthesis, such as sugars, from the leaves to other parts of the plant. This vascular system allows plants to efficiently distribute nutrients and water, enabling them to grow larger and live in a variety of environments.

Nonvascular plants, such as mosses and liverworts, lack xylem and phloem, relying instead on diffusion for nutrient transportation. Marine plants, which include seagrasses and mangroves, can be vascular or nonvascular, but not all of them possess a full vascular system. Desert plants, while many are vascular and adapted to arid conditions with specialized features like water storage, do not specifically define the presence of xylem and phloem without considering the larger classification of vascular plants.