How Do Plants Absorb Water & Nutrients?
Most modern plants have complex systems that produce energy from photosynthesis in the leaves and water or nutrient absorption from roots buried in the soil. The two processes complement each other and are important for the full functionality of the plant.
Other People Are Reading
-
Roots
-
The root is the part of vascular plants that absorbs nutrients and water. Vascular plants are plants with specialized vascular tissue for transporting molecules and organic compounds throughout the organism. Non-vascular plants do not have roots. The root is usually found burrowed deep in the ground, but some plants contain above-ground roots.
Root Hairs
-
Younger roots--situated along the regions of the tips where hundreds of root hairs compose the epidermal tissue--absorb the water and mineral nutrients. These root hairs are constantly replaced by new growths, but they are integral because they greatly increase the absorption area of the root.
-
Osmosis
-
The root hairs absorb water and materials through the process of osmosis. Osmosis is accomplished when there is a greater concentration on one side of a selectively permeable membrane than on the other. The water and nutrients then flow into the area of lower concentration within the root.
Xylem
-
Water and mineral nutrients continue to flow through the plant through osmosis and are eventually loaded into the xylem, which is a section of the vascular tissue that transports material from the roots to the rest of the plant. The leaves especially need the material to continue photosynthesis.
Types of Roots
-
Taproots are one kind of root. They consist of one primary root, which can search for water, and a branch of roots to the side. Taproots can store carbohydrates if necessary. Fibrous roots, on the other hand, are a mass of similarly sized roots that specialize in erosion control because they can cling to soil particles.
-
References
- Photo Credit Roots up image by Dhanya from Fotolia.com
