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Why do plant root hair cells use active transport to take in minerals? A - OCR Gateway - GCSE Biology - Question 12 - 2018 - Paper 1
Question 12
Why do plant root hair cells use active transport to take in minerals? A. Minerals are dissolved in water in the soil. B. Minerals are needed by the plant in very ... show full transcript
Worked Solution & Example Answer:Why do plant root hair cells use active transport to take in minerals? A - OCR Gateway - GCSE Biology - Question 12 - 2018 - Paper 1
Step 1
Why do plant root hair cells use active transport to take in minerals?
Answer
Plant root hair cells use active transport to absorb minerals from the soil, especially when these minerals are present in very low concentrations. Active transport is essential in this context as it allows the plant to move minerals against the concentration gradient, ensuring that the necessary nutrients are available for growth and development.
Therefore, the correct option is D: Minerals are present at very low concentrations in the soil. This reflects the need for plants to actively uptake minerals that might not be sufficiently available through passive absorption due to the low concentration in the surrounding soil.