Water Uptake and Mineral Ion Transport

This lesson covers the mechanisms of water uptake by roots and mineral ion transport as required by the Edexcel A-Level Biology specification (9BI0). You need to understand how water moves from the soil into the root xylem, the three pathways water takes across the root cortex, the role of the Casparian strip, and how mineral ions are absorbed.

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Root Structure

To understand water uptake, you need to know the structure of a typical dicotyledonous root in cross-section: