Movement of water in the root

• Water enters through root hair cells and moves into the xylem tissue located in the centre of the root. This movement occurs as a result of a water potential gradient, as the water

  potential is higher inside the soil than inside the root hair cells, due to the dissolved substances in the cell sap
• Minerals are also absorbed through the root hair cells by active transport, as they need to be pumped against the concentration gradient.
• What are the two pathways where water can be taken up the root hair cells across the cortex of the root into the xylem?

  Symplast pathway

  Apoplast Pathway
• what happens if water is taken into the symplast pathway?

  water enters the cytoplasm through the plasma membrane and passes from one cell to the next through plasmodesmata, the channels which connect the cytoplasm of one cell to the next.
• What happens if water enters the apoplast pathway?


  Water moves through the water filled spaces between cellulose molecules in the cell walls. In this pathway, water doesn’t pass through any plasma membranes therefore it can carry dissolved mineral ions and salts. When the water reaches a part of the root called the endodermis, it encounters a layer of suberin which is known as the Casparian strip, which cannot be penetrated by water