BRAINCAKERoot Hair Cells
Water and mineral ions enter the plant through root hair cells. A root hair is a long, thin extension of a root epidermal cell, found just behind the growing root tip.
Root hair cells are adapted for absorption:
1. Each root has thousands of root hairs, giving a very large surface area in contact with the soil water.
2. The hairs are thin, so the distance water travels into the cell is short.
3. The cells contain many mitochondria to supply ATP for active transport.
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Key terms in this lesson
- water potential
- A measure of the tendency of water molecules to move out of a solution; water moves from a higher to a lower (more negative) water potential.
- partially permeable membrane
- A membrane that allows some molecules, such as water, to pass through but not others, such as larger dissolved solutes.
More in Transport in Plants
- Xylem and Phloem
- Xylem
- Evidence for the Movement of Water Through Xylem
- Phloem
- Symplast Pathway
- Apoplast Pathway
- Transpiration
- Cohesion-Tension Theory
All 21 lessons in Transport in Plants · All Edexcel AS-level Biology topics