8.2.1

Water Uptake

Test yourself

Water Pathway

Water moves into the plant in the roots, then moves up through the plant:

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Root hair cell

  • First, water osmoses into root hair cells.
  • These are specialised cells on roots that have projections, creating a large surface area for osmosis.
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Root cortex cells

  • Water then moves into the root cortex cells.
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Xylem vessels

  • Xylem vessels collect water from the root cortex and transport it up the plant's stem.
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Mesophyll cells

  • When it reaches a leaf, water osmoses out of the xylem into the leaf's mesophyll cells.
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Investigating the pathway

  • By putting a wilting celery stalk in water that contains a stain such as blue food dye, it is possible to watch the blue water travelling up the celery stem and to the leaves.

Jump to other topics

1Classification of Living Organisms

2Organisation of the Organism

3Movement Into & Out of Cells

4Biological Molecules

5Enzymes

6Plant Nutrition

7Human Nutrition

8Transport in Plants

9Transport in Animals

10Diseases & Immunity

11Gas Exchange in Humans

12Respiration

13Excretion in Humans

14Coordination & Response

15Drugs

16Reproduction

17Inheritance

18Variation & Selection

19Organisms & Their Environment

20Human Influence on Ecosystems

21Biotechnology & Genetic Modification

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