Chapter 4 Absorption by Roots — The Process Involved
Q. List the three primary functions of root.
Answer: The three primary functions of root are:
1. Fixes the plant in soil giving it support.
2. Absorbs water and mineral nutrient from soil.
3. Conducts absorbed water and mineral to stem.
Q. Mention four purposes for which the plants need water.
Answer: Plants need water for:
Photosynthesis; Transpiration; Transportation; Mechanical stiffness
Q. Where are the mineral nutrients mostly used in plants?
Answer: The mineral nutrients are used by plants in formation of cell and cell organelles as well
as in synthesis of various compounds and enzymes.
Q. List three main characteristics of the roots that enable them to draw water from the soil.
Answer: Three main characteristics of the roots that enable them to draw water from the soil
are: 1. Surface area of roots is enormous.
2. Root hairs contain cell sap, of a higher concentration than that of the surrounding water.
3. Root hairs have thin walls.
Q. In what way is active transport opposite to diffusion?
Diffusion Active transport
Diffusion is the free movement of molecules of a
It is the movement of a salt or an ion from
substance (solute or solvent, gas, liquid) from the
a region of its lower concentration to a
region of their higher concentration to the region of
region of its higher concentration through
their lower concentration when the two are in a
a living membrane.
direct contact.
Q. A cell kept in a certain solution bursts after some time. Comment upon the kind of solution.
Answer: The solution is a hypotonic solution i.e., concentration of solute in it is less than that of
cell sap. A cell when kept in hypotonic solution swells and finally bursts due to endosmosis.
Q. Which process — diffusion, osmosis or active transport, needs involvement of energy?
Answer: Active transport needs involvement of energy.
Q. Can we call diffusion passive transport? If so, how?
Answer: Yes, we can call diffusion as passive transport as it occurs according to concentration
gradient i.e, from higher concentration of solute to lower concentration. It does not involve any
energy expense.
Question 1 Look at figure. Why was oil added over water in the test tubes? PIC IN BOOK
Answer: Oil was added over water in the test tubes to avoid the loss of water due to
evaporation.
Question 2: Look at the experiment shown in figure. Why was it necessary to take coloured
eosin solution in water in the beaker? PIC IN BOOK
Answer: Coloured eosin solution in water was taken to stain xylem vessel in order to show that
there is upward movement of absorbed water.
Question 3 Which part of the stem, the xylem or the phloem, is located deeper internally?
Answer: The xylem is located deeper and the phloem is relatively superficial in location.
Question 4: Look at figure. Why has the stem below the ring stopped growing and even slightly
decayed? PIC IN BOOK
Answer: The stem below the ring stopped growing and even slightly decayed because its food
supply was cut. After girdling, the lower portion of stem remains alive for few days due to
stored food in it but later it stops to grow.
Q1: Differentiate between the following :
Plasmolysis Deplasmolysis
It refers to the shrinkage of the cytoplasm and Deplasmolysis is the recovery of a
withdrawal of the plasma membrane from the plasmolysed cell when it is placed in water,
cell wall caused due to the withdrawal of water wherein the cell's protoplasm again swells up
when placed in a hypertonic solution. due to the re-entry of water.
In Plasmolysis, the cell becomes flaccid. In Deplasmolysis, the cell becomes turgid.
(b) Difference between Turgor pressure and Wall pressure
Turgor Pressure Wall Pressure
Turgor pressure is the pressure of the cell contents on Wall pressure is the pressure exerted
the cell wall. by the cell wall on the cell content.
Turgor Pressure Wall Pressure
It helps keeps plant stems erect, keeps leaves
It helps maintain the structure of cells
expanded, involve in opening and closing of stomata,
and the plant.
etc.
It acts towards the outside from the cell. It acts towards the inside of the cell.
(c) Difference between Hypotonic and Hypertonic solution
Hypotonic Solution Hypertonic Solution
The solution outside the cell has a lower solute The solution outside the cell has higher solute
concentration than the fluids inside the cell. concentration than the fluids inside the cell.
Endosmosis occurs as the water molecules Exosmosis occurs as the water molecules move
move into the cell. out from the cell.
When placed in Hypotonic Solution, the cell When placed in Hypertonic Solution, the cell
slightly enlarges or even bursts. shrinks in size and loses shape.
(d) Difference between Turgidity and Flaccidity
Turgidity Flaccidity
It is the state of a cell in which the cell wall is rigid and It is the condition in which the cell
stretched by an increase in the volume of vacuoles due to content is shrunken and the cell is
the absorption of water. not tight.
It occurs when the cell is placed in
It occurs when the cell is placed in Hypotonic solution.
Hypertonic solution.
It is caused by Endosmosis. It is caused by Exosmosis.
Water moves into the cell. Water moves out of the cell.
Turgidity Flaccidity
Q1. Give two examples of turgor movements in plants.
Answer: (i) The rapid dropping of the leaves of the sensitive plant Mimosa pudica, is an
outstanding example of turgor movement. If one of the leaves is touched, even lightly, the
leaflets fold up and within 2 to 3 seconds, the entire leaf droops. If the leaf is touched
somewhat strongly, the wave of folding and drooping spreads from the stimulated leaf to all
neighbouring leaves.
(ii) Turgor movements are found in insectivorous plants whose leaves close up to entrap a living
prey. When the insect comes in contact with the leaf, it loses its turgor hence closing the leaves
of the plant.
Q2. Define the following terms:
(a) Imbibition — Imbibition is a phenomenon by which the living or dead plant cells absorb
water by surface attraction. Its the passive absorption of water by substances such as cellulose
(in cell wall) and starch.
(b) Diffusion — Diffusion is the free movement of molecules of a substance (solute or solvent,
gas, liquid) from the region of their higher concentration to the region of their lower
concentration when the two are in a direct contact.
(c) Osmosis — Osmosis is the movement of water molecules from their region of higher
concentration (dilute solution or with a lower solute concentration) to their region of lower
concentration (concentrated solution or with a higher solute concentration) through a semi
permeable membrane.
(d) Osmotic pressure — Osmotic pressure is the minimum pressure that must be exerted to
prevent the passage of the pure solvent into the solution when the two are separated by a
semi-permeable membrane.
(e) Active transport — Active transport is the passage of a substance from its lower to higher
concentration through a living cell membrane using energy from the cell.
(f) Tonicity — Relative concentration of the solutions that determine the direction and extent of
diffusion is called tonicity.
(g) Root pressure — The upward flow of water due to heavy pressure from the roots is called
root pressure. Thus, it is one of the forces to raise water up through the stem into the leaves.
Q3. Give reasons for the following:
(a) If you sprinkle some common salt on grass growing on a lawn, it is killed at that spot.:
When common salt is sprinkled on grass growing in lawn, the common salt acts as a hypertonic
solution for the grass. The cells of grass start losing water, grass becomes flaccid and Plasmolysis
occurs causing the protoplasm to go away from the cell wall. This creates gaps between the
membrane and the cell wall. Grass cells shrink completely and ultimately get killed.
(b) If you uproot a plant from the soil, its leaves soon wilt.: If a plant is uprooted, the leaves
continue losing water by transpiration, but there is no more water absorbed by the roots. This
does not allow the compensation for the loss of water by transpiration hence the leaves of the
uprooted plant wilt soon.
(c) It is better to transplant seedlings in a flower-bed in the evening and not in the morning.:
Transplantation in the evening helps the seedlings to adjust for a longer time during the night
(cooler temperatures) because the quantity of water absorbed exceeds the loss of water
through transpiration. Therefore, it is better to transplant seedling in a flower bed in the
evening and not in the morning.
(d) A plant cell when kept in a hypertonic salt solution for about 30 minutes becomes
plasmolysed.: When a plant cell is kept in a hypertonic salt solution, it starts losing water due to
Plasmolysis. As the solution outside the cell has higher solute concentration than the fluids
inside the cell so exosmosis occurs. In 30 minutes, the plant cell will lose its distended
appearance, the cytoplasm will shrink and the plasma membrane will withdraw from the cell
wall causing the plant cell to turn plasmolysed.
(e) Potato cubes when placed in water become firm and increase in size.: Potato cubes contain
excess of salts and sugars as compared to the water in which the cubes are placed. Hence, due
to endosmosis, water from the surrounding enters the potato cubes making them firm and
increasing their size.
Q4. What are the four main forces which contribute to the ascent of sap (upward movement of
water and minerals)? Name them and explain in short.
Answer: The four main forces which contribute to the ascent of sap are:
1. Root pressure — Root pressure builds up sufficient force to push the sap in the xylem
vessels up to a certain height and may be enough for herbaceous plants.
2. Capillary force — Capillarity (narrow diameter) of xylem vessels causes the water from a
lower level to rise to fill up the vacuum created by the loss of water due to transpiration
from the leaves. Narrower the diameter of a tube, greater will be the height of water
rising in it exerting a force called capillary force.
3. Transpiration pull — As the water is lost from the leaf surface by transpiration, more
water molecules are pulled up due to the tendency of water molecules to remain joined
(cohesion), and thus to produce a continuous column of water through the stem.
4. Adhesion — It causes the water to stick to the surface of cells thus drawing more water
molecules from below when the leaf cells lose water during transpiration. This pulling
force (or suction force) provided by the leaves is important for tall trees.
Q5. What is transpirational pull? How is it caused?
Answer: As water is lost from the leaf surface by transpiration, more water molecules are pulled
up due to the tendency of water molecules to remain joined i.e. cohesion. This produces a
continuous column of water throughout the stem which is known as 'transpiration pull'. A
negative pressure or tension is produced in the xylem that pulls the water from the roots and
soil. Transpirational pull is an important force which causes the ascent of sap.