BRAINCAKESymplast Pathway
After entering the root hair, water must cross the cortex of the root to reach the xylem in the centre. It can take two routes. This lesson covers the symplast pathway.
The symplast is the continuous system of cytoplasm in the plant. The cytoplasm of neighbouring cells is joined by plasmodesmata, strands of cytoplasm that pass through channels in the cell walls.
In the symplast pathway, water moves through the cytoplasm of one cell, through the plasmodesmata and into the cytoplasm of the next cell. The movement is by osmosis:
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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.
More in Transport in Plants
- Xylem
- Evidence for the Movement of Water Through Xylem
- Phloem
- Root Hair Cells
- Apoplast Pathway
- Transpiration
- Cohesion-Tension Theory
- Adhesion and Capillarity
All 21 lessons in Transport in Plants · All Edexcel AS-level Biology topics