Biology
Root Hair Cells
Root Hairs Are Single-Celled Extensions Of Epidermis
Cells In The Root
They Grow Between Soil Particles And Absorb Water And
Minerals From The Soil
Water Enters The Root Hair Cells By Osmosis
This Happens Because Soil Water Has A Higher Water
Potential Than The Cytoplasm Of The Root Hair Cell
The Root Hair Increases The Surface Area Of The Cells
Significantly
This Large Surface Area Is Important As It Increases The
Rate Of The Absorption Of Water By Osmosis And Mineral
Ions By Active Transport
Root Hairs Are Single Celled Protuberances Of Some Cells
In The Outermost Layer Of The Root, Which Absorb Water
And Minerals From The Soil. Root Hairs Are The Hair-Like
Outgrowths Of A Plant Root.
They Are The Tubular Extensions Of The Epidermis That
Greatly Increase The Surface Area Of The Root. This
Increases The Amount Of Water And Nutrients That The
Plant Can Absorb From The Soil.
Root Hairs Are Single Celled Protuberances Of Some Cells
In The Outermost Layer Of The Root.
The Root Hair Cells Are Covered With A Thin Cell Wall That
Allows The Movement Of Water Molecules Through It But
Prevents The Movement Of Large Molecules Of Other
Substances. Such A Type Of Membrane Is Called A
Semipermeable Membrane.
The Root Hairs Absorb Water And Minerals From The Soil.
The Function Of All Root Hairs Is To Collect Water And
Mineral Nutrients In The Soil To Be Sent Throughout The
Plant. In Roots, Most Water Absorption Happens Through
The Root Hairs. The Length Of Root Hairs Allows Them To
Penetrate Between Soil Particles And Prevents Harmful
Bacterial Organisms From Entering The Plant Through The
Xylem Vessels.[1] Increasing The Surface Area Of These
Hairs Makes Plants More Efficient In Absorbing Nutrients
And Interacting With Microbes.[2] As Root Hair Cells Do Not
Carry Out Photosynthesis, They Do Not
Contain Chloroplasts.
Root Hairs Form An Important Surface As They Are Needed
To Absorb Most Of The Water And Nutrients Needed For
The Plant. They Are Also Directly Involved In The
Formation Of Root Nodules In Legume Plants. The Root
Hairs Curl Around The Bacteria, Which Allows For The
Formation Of An Infection Thread Into The Dividing
Cortical Cells To Form The Nodule.[3]
Having A Large Surface Area, The Active Uptake Of Water
And Minerals Through Root Hairs Is Highly Efficient. Root
Hair Cells Also Secrete Acids (E.G., Malic And Citric Acid),
Which Solubilize Minerals By Changing Their Oxidation
State, Making The Ions Easier To Absorb.[4]
Osmosis
What Is Osmosis?
Osmosis Is The Movement Of A Solvent, Usually Water, Through
A Semipermeable Membrane. The Solvent Moves From An Area
Of Low Solute Concentration To An Area Of High Solute
Concentration.
Osmosis Is Similar To Diffusion, But In Osmosis, The Movement
Occurs Across A Semipermeable Membrane. In Diffusion, The
Molecules Move From A Region Of Higher Concentration To
Lower Concentration.
It Is Diffusion But In Liquids. Osmosis Can Only Occur In Liquids
In Biology, Osmosis Is The Movement Of Water Molecules From
A Solution With A High Concentration Of Water Molecules To A
Solution With A Lower Concentration Of Water Molecules,
Through A Cell’s Partially Permeable Membrane.
How Does It Help The Plant?
Osmosis Helps In The Absorption Of Water Molecules From
The Soil By The Root Hairs. Osmosis Maintains The Turgidity
Of Plant Cells And Therefore, Maintains The Structure Of The
Plant Parts. It Also Helps In Water Transport Across The Cells.
The Water Molecules Move Between Cells Through A
Semipermeable Membrane.
In
The Diagram Above, The Higher Concentration Of Water
Molecules To The Left Of The Partially Permeable Membrane
Makes It Likely That A Large Number Of Water Molecules Will
Collide With The Membrane And Pass Through It.
The Lower Concentration Of Water Molecules On The Right-
Hand Side Of The Partially Permeable Membrane In The
Diagram Makes It Likely That Fewer Water Molecules Will
Collide With The Membrane And Pass Through It.
This Means That More Water Molecules Move From Left To
Right On This Diagram Than Move From Right To Left, And So
The Overall Movement (Net Movement) Is To The Right. It Is
Important, Though, To Stress To Students That Water
Molecules Are Moving In Both Directions.
You Will Often See This Described As Movement ‘Down The
Concentration Gradient’, Meaning The Water Is Moving From A
Higher Concentration Of Water (In This Case, The Dilute
Sucrose Solution), To A Lower Concentration Of Water (The
Concentrated Sucrose Solution).
If A Plant Cell Is Surrounded By A Solution That Contains A
Higher Concentration Of Water Molecules Than The Solution
Inside The Cell, Water Will Enter The Cell By Osmosis And The
Plant Cell Will Become Turgid (Firm). The Pressure That
Develops Inside A Plant Cell When It Becomes Turgid Is Called
Turgor Pressure. Turgid Plant Cells Help A Stem To Stay
Upright.
If A Plant Cell Is Surrounded By A Solution That Contains A
Lower Concentration Of Water Molecules Than The Solution
Inside The Plant Cell, Water Will Leave The Cell By Osmosis
And The Plant Cell Will Become Flaccid (Soft). If The Cells In A
Plant Stem Become Flaccid The Turgor Pressure Inside Them
Will Decrease And The Stem Will Wilt.
If A Plant Cell Is Surrounded By A Solution That Contains The
Same Concentration Of Water Molecules As The Solution
Inside The Plant Cell, There Is No Overall Net Flow Of Water.
The Movement Of Water Molecules Into And Out Of The Cell,
Through The Partially Permeable Membrane, Balances Out.
