Chapter 4.

1
Root hair cell
Roots have specialized cells that are called root hair cells, they grow out of
the surface of the root. Root hair cells are tiny with long extensions which
provide greater surface area to allow better absorption of water. The water
from the soil pass through the cell wall and membrane of the root hair into
the cytoplasm.
Minerals like magnesium and nitrates are dissolved in water in the form of
ions.
How water moves up the plant
Inside the root, a specialized cell called xylem vessels. After water is
absorbed by the root, the water goes into the center of the root which is the
xylem vessels. Xylem vessels are long, tube-like cells made of dead cells. All
of the content of the cell such as cytoplasm and nucleus have disappeared,
including the end wall of the cell, only the cell wall is left giving empty space.

Water from the root is transported to all parts of the plant, xylem vessels are
also present in the stems.

4.2 Transpiration
How water moves through leaves
When water arrives it goes to the cells that have chloroplasts (palisade and
mesophyll cells) where photosynthesis happens. Excess water goes out from
the cell through the stoma(ta), which are located on the underside of the
leaf. The loss of water vapor from the leaves is transpiration.

Why plants need water

If the plant has enough water, then the vacuole of the cells are filled with
enough water (this condition is known as turgid cell), and so they have
enough vigour to press on another cell to support the plant. But when the
plant doesn’t have enough water, the vacuole of the cell is not filled with
water and therefore cannot support the cell (this condition is known as
flaccid cell). This state of the plant means the plant is wilted.

Plants also need water as a medium to transport minerals and nutrient.

Plants also need water for cooling. Plants need water to perform
photosynthesis
4.3 Excretion
Excretion
Excretion is the process in which a living organism is getting rid of waste
materials which have been truly become parts or absorbed into the body of
the living organism.

Waste materials involved in excretion are:

Carbon dioxide, Urea, Excess water.

Urea is a toxic substance made in liver cells from the small molecules that
previously make up the proteins.

Once urea is formed in the liver cells, the blood takes urea from the liver to
the kidney. The liver and kidney are two organs involved in the process of
excretion of urea. This is called the excretory system.
The renal vein brings the blood which has been cleaned from urea away
from the kidney.
The urine that contains urea, excess water and ions, move from each kidney
to the bladder through the ureter. When the bladder is fully filled, the urine
is released through the urethra.
4.4 Keeping a fetus healthy
Fetus is a baby in the mother’s womb within the period of pregnancy.
During pregnancy, the fetal circulatory system works differently from the
one after birth.
The fetus is connected by the umbilical cord to the placenta. The placenta is
the organ that develops and implants in the mother’s uterus during
pregnancy.
The fetus gets all the nutrition and oxygen needed through the umbilical
cord. Waste products are sent through the umbilical cord through the blood
vessels in the umbilical cord and sent to the placenta.

During pregnancy the blood of the mother and the fetus do not mix, they get
very close but do not touch. The substances that the baby needs diffuses
through the mothers blood into the fetus’s blood, as well as the waste
diffuses from the fetus’s blood to the mothers blood.
Protein is very important to the fetus during pregnancy because it is the
nutrient that allows new cells to be created, growth, and the production of
haemogoblin.
Carbohydrates provide energy for the fetus and mother.
Iron is important to make hemoglobin.
Calcium is important for the development of the fetus’s bones.
Vitamins are important to develop the immune system of the fetus.

Smoking and fetal health

Tobacco or cigarette contains: carbon monoxide, nicotine, and tar.
Carbon monoxide is a toxic gas, it is also able to bond with the iron in the
hemoglobin and therefore competes with the space for oxygen; this reduces
the amount of the oxygen the baby gets and reduces the rate of respiration.

Nicotine causes weak blood vessels and poor blood circulation which lead to
growth problems.
Tar is carcinogenic and can cause cancer, tar can also build up in the lungs
and cause problems in the future.
Drugs can also affect the fetus, whether legal or illegal. Some drugs maybe
more harmful to the fetus than the mother, as the fetus is still under
development.