Active Transport

• What is the process referred to as when substances need to be absorbed against a concentration gradient?

  Active transport
• What do root hairs take in?

  Minerals and water
• What is the role of root hairs in plants?

  • Grow into "root hairs"
  • Stick out into the soil
  • Increase surface area for absorption
• How many branches of a root hair are covered in millions of microscopic hairs?

  Each branch of a root hair
• What do root hairs provide for plants?

  A large surface area for absorbing nutrients
• Why do plants need minerals?

  For healthy growth
• Where is the concentration of minerals usually higher?

  In the root hair cells than in the soil
• What happens to root hair cells when they cannot use diffusion?

  They must use active transport to absorb minerals
• What is required for active transport to function?

  Energy from respiration
• How does active transport occur in humans?

  By taking glucose from the gut
• What is the process called when glucose is absorbed from the gut?

  Active transport
• What happens when there is a higher concentration of nutrients in the gut than in the blood?

  Nutrients diffuse naturally into the blood
• What are the key points about active transport in plants and humans?

  • Active transport moves substances against concentration gradients
  • Requires energy from respiration
  • Essential for nutrient absorption in roots and intestines
• What is the main function of active transport in plants?

  To absorb minerals from dilute solutions
• What is the significance of active transport for plant growth?

  It allows plants to absorb necessary minerals
• How does active transport differ from passive transport?

  Active transport requires energy, passive does not
• What do root hairs primarily absorb from the soil?

  Minerals and water
• Why is active transport essential for nutrient uptake?

  It allows absorption against concentration gradients
• What role does energy play in active transport?

  Energy is needed to move substances against gradients
• What is the concentration of nutrients in the gut compared to the blood?

  Higher concentration in the gut
• What happens when there is a higher concentration of glucose and amino acids in the gut?

  They diffuse naturally into the blood
• What process used in plant roots is also used in the gut?

  Active transport
• What does active transport allow despite the concentration gradient?

  It allows nutrients to be taken into the blood
• How does glucose enter the bloodstream from the gut?

  It can be transported when its concentration is higher
• If nutrients are at a higher concentration in the gut, what happens to them?

  They diffuse into the bloodstream
• What happens to nutrients when they are transported to cells?

  They are used for respiration
• What is the purpose of active transport in the gut?

  To take nutrients into the blood
• What analogy is used to explain active transport?

  A pen in a field of sheep
• What happens when you open a pen in a field of sheep?

  Sheep will diffuse from high to low concentration
• What is the result of having a lower concentration of sheep in the field?

  Sheep will not have to do anything
• What is required to transport nutrients back into the pen?

  Energy must be used
• What is the significance of the concentration gradient in nutrient absorption?

  It determines the direction of nutrient movement
• How does energy play a role in active transport compared to diffusion?

  Active transport requires energy, diffusion does not
• What must happen for nutrients to be transported back into the bloodstream?

  Energy must be expended