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Feb 28, 2021 · The different structures and components of plants allow them to form these different items we use. The roots, stems, and leaves of plants are also structured to ensure that a plant can obtain the required sunlight, water, soil nutrients, and oxygen resources.
- Introduction to Plant Structures
What you’ll learn to do: Identify basic common structures of...
- Introduction to Plant Structures
- What Is A Root?
- The Four Main Functions of Roots
- How Do Roots Grow So Deep?
- The Structure of A Root
- How Do Roots Absorb Water?
- Different Types of Roots
- Uses of Roots to Humans
- Comments
The root is the part of a plant that attaches it to the ground. It's where water and nourishment begin to be transported to the rest of the plant structure via its branches and fibers. Roots are usually under the ground and function as an organ of absorption, aeration, food storage, and anchorage or support. They are the part of vascular plants tha...
1. Anchorage
Grasp a weed and try to pull it from the ground. Do the same with several plants. Notice the force you must exert to pull them loose. Roots hold, or "anchor," a plant firmly to the ground. The first root that develops from the seed is the primary root. After some time, secondary rootsdevelop from the primary root. Secondary roots originate from the pericycle of a primary root, and they are made up of many cells.
2. Absorption of Water and Minerals
Water and minerals needed by plants are found in the soil. Root epidermal cells have very thin walls; they can absorb water and dissolve substances with or without root hairs. The root hairsare extensions of epidermal cells near the root tip, and they increase the surface area of an epidermal cell. This makes absorption more efficient. A root hair originates from the epidermis and is not considered a cell; it is only an extension of one epidermal cell.
3. Aeration
Some roots come up from the soil or grow from the plant stem or leaf tissues. These are roots that grow on the above-ground parts of a plant, acting as woody vines that anchor to different tree branches, trellises, rocks, and walls. The anchorage of these aerating roots fixes the plant from external environmental factors such as wind. Many aerial roots also intake gases, moisture, or nutrients directly from the air.
Roots can penetrate deep into the soil, no matter how closely packed the soil particles are. What makes roots capable of doing this? They give off carbon dioxide as a result of respiration, and carbon dioxide reacts with water in the soil, forming carbonic acid. Carbonic acid dissolves certain minerals in the soil, making it easier for the roots to...
The different parts of a root can be defined by the roles they perform in the plant's cellular growth process.
Below is the process of how substances are transported across a root. Water moves through roots primarily through diffusion and capillary action. 1. From outside the root, water diffuses through the thin walls of the root and the rest of the cells in the root's epidermis. 2. From the epidermal cells, it diffuses into the cells of the cortex. It mov...
A common way to differentiate root types is by whether the root system is fibrous or a taproot system. However, there are also a few different types of specialized root systems that have developed to perform specific functions for plants. Some of these specialized root types include aerial, climbing, prop, and buttress roots.
Preventing Soil Erosion
One of the ways in which humans most benefit from roots is in their prevention of soil erosion. Although soil erosionaffects most of us only indirectly, it is nevertheless important to emphasize this function of roots as our forests are getting denuded by logging. Such wanton destruction of forest trees exposes the soil to erosion, which eventually carries the rich topsoil away to the sea.
Food
Roots are used by people as a direct source of food. Sweet potato and cassava are common root crops in the Philippines. Our yam varieties include ube, tugi, and nami. Carrots and radishes are also used as vegetables. Singkamasis another juicy root that most Filipinos and other tropical countries are fond of. Other examples of roots used as food are parsnip, beetroot, and aroids, which belong to different botanical families.
Spices and Dyes
Roots are used to make spices and dyes. For example, sarsaparilla is a soft drink made from plants like Smilax ornata, commonly known as sarsi. Sarsaparilla is originally made from a blend of birch oil and sassafras, which is the dried root bark of the sassafras trees. Roots are also used to make dyes; for instance, a "turkey-red" color is made from the root of madder.
Eric Dierkerfrom Spring Valley, CA. U.S.A. on March 08, 2020: Extremely interesting. I thought I knew about roots. Very cool.
Roots are the important underground part of all vascular plants. This part of the plant is mainly responsible for anchoring it down into the ground and absorbing the essential mineral elements, nutrients, and water from the soil. It is also used to store food.
- 89 min
- The different types of root systems are: Taproots Fibrous roots Adventitious roots
- Roots perform the following functions: Roots absorb water and nutrients from the soil. They anchor the plant firmly. They help in storing food and...
- The main difference between monocot and dicot root is that the dicot root contains xylem in the middle and phloem surrounding the xylem. Whereas in...
- Primary roots are the early roots in young plants that consist of taproots, basal roots, and lateral roots. Secondary roots are the side branches o...
- The plants with taproots are: Beetroot Carrot Parsley Dandelion
- Some edible roots include: Ginger Turnip Yam tubers Cassava tubers
- Fibrous roots are the roots formed by thin, moderately branching roots emerging from the stem. Wheat, rice and corn are some of the examples of fib...
- A taproot is a prominent, large, upright and straight root that develops vertically downward. Tap roots are more likely to be present in plants who...
Through root hairs and extensive root networks, plants absorb essential nutrients and water. This absorption is crucial for photosynthesis, growth, and overall plant health. Storage of Food. Many plants store excess food in their roots as starch or other carbohydrates.
Root hairs increase the surface area of the root and make it much easier for the plant to absorb water and essential nutrients like nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium from the soil. These vital resources are pushed back into the main root system, which then sends them up to the rest of the plant.
Roots help to anchor a plant, absorb water and minerals, and serve as storage sites for food. Taproots and fibrous roots are the two main types of root systems. In a taproot system, a main root grows vertically downward with a few lateral roots.
People also ask
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Root, in botany, the part of a vascular plant that is normally underground. Its primary functions are absorption of water and dissolved minerals and conduction of these to the stem, storage of reserve foods, and anchorage of the plant.
