Question

How does trees on the fertile plain obtain their nurtients. Or the cacti in the deserts. Or the algae in the sea

Answer 1

Uptake of nutrients in Trees

All the minerals cannot be passively absorbed by the roots as the concentration of minerals in the soil is usually low and they are present as charged particles. So, they cannot move across cell membranes. These move into the roots by using energy in the form of ATP. Specific proteins are present in the membrane of the root hair cells which actively pump ions from the cell to the cytoplasm of the epidermal cells. Transport proteins are embedded in the plasma membranes of endodermal cells that act as control points for the type and quantity of solutes that reach the xylem.

Movement of Mineral Ions

After the uptake, minerals are transported to all other parts by transpiration pull. Minerals are required the most at all the growing points. These are also moved from the older parts to the new parts. For example, when the old leaves are about to fall, the minerals are transported to the other parts. Elements that are mobilized are phosphorus, sulphur, nitrogen, and potassium.

Uptake of nutrients in cacti

The desert is a difficult place to be a plant because of the dry, hot air. To move nutrients up their roots, plants evaporate water from their leaves in a process called transpiration. But in the desert, where water is hard to come by, many plants have adaptations to help save water. The plants can save water a few different ways: they can control the amount of water lost by transpiration, the amount they can get, or the amount they can store. If a plant has adaptations to help them deal with desert weather, we call them xerophytes, a word that means dry plants

Uptake of nutrients in algae

Algae also needs nutrients for growth. They find the nutrients in water. Algae absorb the nutrients from the water through the entire body.