Transportation of Food and Minerals in Plants 1

1. How does the absorption of minerals take place in plants?

Ans. Most of the minerals such as calcium, potassium, magnesium and nitrogen,
needed by plants are dissolved in the water in the soil. Two processes are
involved in the absorption of minerals by roots - diffusion and active
transport.

2. What is diffusion?
Ans. It is the movement of salt molecules from a region of higher concentration to
a region of lower concentration. When the concentration of mineral
molecules is higher in the soil than inside the root hair cells, they absorb
minerals by diffusion.

3. What is active transport?

Ans. The movement of minerals ions from a lower concentration area to a higher
concentration are is called active transport. Normally, molecules of
minerals are more concentrated inside the root hair cells than in the soil
outside. Still root hair cells absorb them. They use active transport to
absorb the mineral ions. This process involves the use of energy.

4. What is Ascent of sap?

Ans. The conduction of water and minerals takes place as below:
- Root hairs absorb mineral salts mainly by active transport. They they reach
the root cortex.
- Root hairs also absorb water from the soil through osmosis.
- Minerals salts accumulated in the xylem reduce the water concentration in
xylem. This creates a concentration gradient which is strong enough to draw
water and minerals to be transported toward the stem. The pressure
developed in the roots due to the continuous inflow of water helps in
pushing the plant sap upwards. It is called root pressure.
Further on, water moves through the xylem up the stem, then to the leaves
due to a pull created by transpiration. It is called transpiration pull.
- water and minerals absorbed by roots, are conducted upwards through
xylem to other plant parts such as the stem, leaves and flowers. This upward
movement of cell sap that contains water and minerals, is called the ascent
of sap.

5. Define transpiration.
Ans. All the water absorbed by the roots is not consumed by the plant. The
water that is not used is given off in the air as water vapour through the
stomata on the lower epidermis of the leaves. This loss of water in the
 Transportation of Food and Minerals in Plants 2

form of water vapour through the stomata and other aerial parts of a
plant is called transpiration.

6. What is transpiration pull?

Ans. There is a direct relationship between absorption and transpiration. As
water is lost through transpiration, more water is absorbed as more
water is required. This creates a suction pressure which pulls up water
from the xylem of the roots to the stem and then to the leaves. It is called
transpiration pull.

7. What is wilting?
Ans. If water is lost through transpiration more quickly than it is absorbed
by the root hair, the plant cells tend to lose water. As a result, the leaves,
stem and flowers droop. This is called wilting.

8. What are the factors affecting the rate of transpiration?

Ans. The factors affecting the rate of transpiration are
- Sunlight: The rate of transpiration is more during the day because the
stomata are open. Stomata remain closed at night so, no transpiration
takes place at night.
- Temperature: The rate of transpiration is more on a hot day as
compared to a cold day.
- Wind: The transpiration rate is more if the wind is blowing as the
water vapour is removed faster from the leaves.
- Humidity: If the air is humid, the rate of transpiration is low.

9. Mention the importance of transpiration for plants.

Ans. The importance of transpiration are
- Cooling effect: Rapid loss of water vapour from a plant’s aerial parts
brings down its temperature. Thus, ,transpiration prevents the plant
from getting overheated.
- Effect on ascent of sap and mineral transport: Water loss due to
transpiration results in the development of low water potential in the
leaf tissues. Thus, water moves from the xylem tissue to the leaf cells
and helps in the ascent of sap. Mineral ions also move up along with
water due to transpiration pull.

10. What is translocation of food from leaves?

Ans. Sugar molecules formed in the leaves during photosynthesis are
transported throughout the plant by phloem. Phloem has cells called
 Transportation of Food and Minerals in Plants 3

sieve tubes which are placed one above the other to form long tubes
through which food is transported. They do not have nuclei. The
contents of phloem can move in the upward as well as downward
directions whereas the water in xylem moves only in the upward
direction.

FILL IN THE BLANKS:

1. Besides stomata, transpiration also occurs through lenticles (on the

surface of stems) and the cuticle (waxy layer on leaves).
2. Irish Botanist Henry H Dixon and his physicist friend John Joly first
explained the cohesive theory for ascent of sap in tall trees.
3. Active transport involves the movement of minerals against a
concentration gradient, and it requires energy.
4. Plants have a transport system called the vascular system that
distributes water, minerals and food materials throughout each and
every cell of the plant body.
5. The vascular system is composed of xylem and phloem tissues.
6. Root hairs are unicellular thin-walled outgrowths of the epidermis or
the outermost layer of a root.
7. Water is absorbed by root hair cells by a process called osmosis.
8. Two processes involved in the absorption of minerals by roots are
diffusion and active transport.
9. The pressure developed in the roots due to the continuous inflow of
water which helps in pushing the plant sap upwards is called root
pressure.
10. Water moves through the xylem up the stem and then to the leaves due
to a pull called transpiration pull.
11. The upward movement of cell sap that contains water and minerals is
called the ascent of sap.
12. Xylem transports water and minerals upwards from the roots.

13. Phloem transports food made in the leaves to all parts of the plant.

14.