Water Uptake And Loss In Plants

Question 0

What do the cells on plant roots do:

Answer 0

Grow into long ‘hairs’ which stick out into the soil.

Each branch of a root will be covered in millions of these microscopic hairs.

Question 1

Root hairs:

Answer 1

Take in water by osmosis

Question 2

What do the ‘hairs’ on cells do:

Answer 2

Provide the plant with a big surface area for absorbing water from the soil.

Question 3

How do root hairs take in minerals:

Answer 3

Active transport

Also absorb minerals from the soil - the concentration in the soil usually pretty low.

Question 4

Active transport uses:

Answer 4

Energy from respiration to help the plant pull minerals into the root hair against the concentration gradient. This is essential for its growth.

Question 5

Plants have tube networks to move substances to and from individual cells quickly:

Answer 5

Xylem

Phloem

Question 6

Xylem tubes transport:

Answer 6

Water and minerals from the root to the rest of the plant

Question 7

Phloem tubes transport:

Answer 7

Sugars from the leaves to growing and storage tissues

Question 8

What is transpiration:

Answer 8

The loss of water from the plant

Question 9

How is transpiration caused:

Answer 9

By the evaporation and diffusion of water from inside the leaves

Question 10

What does transpiration create:

Answer 10

A shortage of water in the leaf, and so more water is drawn up from the rest of the plant through the xylem vessels to replace it.

This means more water is drawn up the roots causing a constant transpiration stream of water through the plant.