Vacuoles are absent in active tissues (or meristematic tissues). Why is it so?

Question

Vacuoles are absent in active tissues (or meristematic tissues). Why is it so?

Answer 1

Vacuoles serve the following functions:

storing foods (e.g., proteins in seeds)

storing wastes

storing malic acid in CAM plants

storing various ions (e.g., calcium, sodium, iron) which, among other functions, helps to

maintain turgor in the cell.

In fast growing cells, there is not much stuff to store. Therefore vacuoles are very small or non-existent.

Answer 2

Meristematic tissue in a plant consists of densely packed cells that can keep dividing to form new cells and is made up of cells which:-

are small,

cell walls are thin,

have large nuclei,

vacuoles are absent or very small

have no intercellular spaces.

There is no need for major vacuoles given their role - everything is geared to dividing.

In other active cells the cells will be packed with other organelles such as mitochondria and the lack of a large central vacuole will be related to the cell size and what can be packed into it.