Which pathway describes the movement of water through non-living parts of a plant's cells?

The apoplast pathway describes the movement of water through the non-living parts of a plant's cells, primarily in the cell walls and the spaces between them. In this pathway, water moves through structures like the cellulose cell walls and other non-cellular spaces without crossing any cellular membranes. This allows for a relatively fast movement of water and solutes since the apoplast represents a continuous network that facilitates the bulk flow of water.

The characteristics of the apoplast pathway distinguish it from the symplast pathway, which involves the movement of water through the living parts of the plant cells by passing through the cytoplasm via plasmodesmata. The transpiration pathway refers to the process by which water evaporates from the plant’s leaves into the atmosphere, which is not specifically a pathway of water movement through the plant's structure. The vascular pathway typically refers to the xylem and phloem, which are responsible for the transport of water, nutrients, and sugars but do not specifically relate to the non-living components through which water moves in the apoplast.