Skip to content
Dabour HubLEARN · PRACTICE · EXPLORESign inStudent

8.2Transport in Plants

Water uptake — Cambridge IGCSE Biology 0610 Revision Notes & Topical Questions

5 min read 15 parts Lesson 5 of 9 1 quiz

📚 Cambridge IGCSE Biology 0610 Hub / Topical Revision
🩺
100% Curriculum Specification Match Lesson Doctor Verified
The only platform with 100% curriculum specification match and verified interactive question banks.
Curriculum Equation Key قوانين الرقم الهيدروجيني والاتزان الأيوني - pH & Acid-Base Equilibrium FormulasFast Exam Solution
pH = -log[H⁺] | pOH = -log[OH⁻] | pH + pOH = 14 | [H⁺][OH⁻] = 10⁻¹⁴
Word Equation & Conditions: الرقم الهيدروجيني = -لوغاريتم تركيز أيون الهيدروجين | pH + pOH = 14
Location & Specifications: الاتزان الأيوني، كيمياء 3 ثانوي، التحصيلي، و AP Chemistry.
0%read
Lesson summary

8.2 Water uptake — IGCSE BIOLOGY notes: Describe root hair cells and the pathway of water from the soil into the leaf.Structure — Single-celled extensions of the root epidermis cells.Position — They grow between soil particles.Function — They absorb water and minerals from the so…

  • No chloroplasts
  • Large surface area
  • Active transport
  • Root cortex
  • Function — They absorb water and minerals from the soil
  • Osmosis — Water enters root hair cells by osmosis

Part 1 of 6Root hair cells

Root hair cells
Structure
  • Single-celled extensions of the root epidermis cells.
Position
  • They grow between soil particles.
Function
  • They absorb water and minerals from the soil.
No chloroplasts
  • Root hair cells are underground and do not photosynthesise.

Part 2 of 6Surface area

Large surface area
  • The root hair increases the surface area of the cell significantly.
Effect
  • It increases the rate of absorption of water by osmosis and mineral ions by active transport.

Part 3 of 6Water entering the root hair

Osmosis
  • Water enters root hair cells by osmosis.
Reason
  • Soil water has a higher water potential than the cytoplasm of the root hair cell.

Part 4 of 6Pathway of water

1
Water is taken up from the soil into root hair cells.
2
It moves across the root cortex cells by osmosis.
3
It enters the xylem vessels.
4
It is carried in the xylem up the stem to the leaves.
5
It enters the leaf mesophyll cells.

Part 5 of 6Tracing the pathway with a stain

1
Place a plant stem, such as celery, in a beaker of water containing a stain.
2
Leave for a few hours until the leaves turn the colour of the dyed water.
3
Cut a cross-section of the stem.
4
View the dye: it marks the location of the xylem vessels.

Part 6 of 6More from the specification

Transpiration stream
  • Continuous movement of water up the xylem from roots to leaves.
Transpiration
  • Loss of water vapour from leaves by evaporation and diffusion through stomata.
Phloem
  • Tissue carrying sucrose and amino acids.
Humidity
  • The amount of water vapour in the air.
Translocation
  • Movement of sucrose and amino acids in phloem from sources to sinks.
Sucrose
  • The sugar mainly transported in phloem.

Key terms

TermMeaning
Root hair cellAn epidermal root cell with a long extension that absorbs water and minerals.
OsmosisNet movement of water down a water potential gradient through a partially permeable membrane.
Active transportMovement of ions against a concentration gradient using energy from respiration.
Root cortexThe tissue that water crosses between the root hair and the xylem.
StainA dye used to trace the pathway of water.

Avoid these mistakes

1
Saying mineral ions enter by osmosis — they enter by active transport.
2
Saying water enters by active transport — water enters root hair cells by osmosis.
3
Leaving out the cortex from the pathway — water crosses the root cortex cells before the xylem.
4
Thinking root hairs are separate cells from the epidermis — they are extensions of epidermal cells.

Last updated:

\n