Plant Structure and Function

YOU ARE LEARNING:

Minerals: Active Transport

Mineral salts in soil are taken up by root hairs using active transport.

To be healthy, plants require nutrients from the soil such as calcium, magnesium and nitrogen. What group of nutrient do you think these nutrients belong to?

Where does a plant obtain mineral ions from?

What do you think is the name of the specialised cells through which a plant absorbs water and mineral ions?

Water and mineral ions are absorbed through the root hair cells by different processes. Name the process where water moves from a higher concentration of water molecules to a lower concentration across the cell membrane.

Answer 'true' or 'false': During active transport, particles also move from high to low concentration, just as with osmosis.

Answer 'true' or 'false': During active transport, particles move from low to high concentration.

It requires energy to move mineral ions into the root hair cell by active transport. Why do you think that is?

Mineral ions move from the soil into root hair cells by active transport

Active transport is where a substance moves from a lower to a higher concentration.

There is smaller concentration of mineral ions in the soil than in the root hair cell...

but minerals are made to go into the cell anyway! It is an active process, so it requires energy.

So active transport requires high amounts of energy. The root hair cell allows high amounts of energy to be supplied and used for active transport, because...

Identify the other two adaptations **** of root hair cells that allow a faster rate of absorption.

You can select multiple answers

Osmosis is a passive process that allows water to move into the root hair cells because water concentration outside the cell is higher than inside the cell.

Active transport, on the other hand, is active! It requires energy for mineral ions and other substances to move from the soil where their concentration is less to the root hair cell, where their concentration is higher.