Biological termModerate0.5 marks
4(b)
Give the Biological / technical term for the following:
The process of uptake of mineral ions against the concentration gradient using energy from the cell.
Topic: Active transport
Previous-year question practice database
Answer
Exam answer
ACTIVE TRANSPORT.
Explanation
Two elements define it and both appear in the question: AGAINST the concentration gradient, and requiring ENERGY (ATP).
WHY PLANTS NEED IT: soil often contains a LOWER concentration of a mineral than the root cell already holds. Diffusion would move the mineral OUT of the root, not in. Active transport is the only way to go on absorbing it — and it is why root cells are rich in MITOCHONDRIA, which supply the ATP.
Contrast DIFFUSION and OSMOSIS, which move substances DOWN the gradient and need no energy.
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