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Part 4: Water and assimilate movement

6. Water relations of plant cells

Water moves around in a plant predominantly through the xylem tubes, but it also needs to move from one plant cell to another, it does this by a process called osmosis.

Osmosis =

the movement of water across a semi-permeable membrane from an area of low solute concentration to an area of high solute concentration.

or

the movement of water across a semi-permeable membrane from an area of high water concentration to an area of low water concentration.

Visual showing direction of water movement from low solute/high water concentration to high solute/low water concentration

Plants are able to force osmosis in a particular direction by actively pumping solutes across membranes to make the water follow. In this way than can control where the water goes inside the plant.

Activity

In each of the situations below, which way would the water move by osmosis? Right to left, or left to right?

Diagram with more large dots on right and more small dots on left

[large dots = solutes, small dots = water]

1. Water will move by osmosis:

  right to left
  left to right
Diagram with more large dots on left and more small dots on right

[large dots = solutes, small dots = water]

2. Water will move by osmosis:

  right to left
  left to right
Diagram with more large dots on right and more small dots on left

[large dots = solutes, small dots = water]

3. Water will move by osmosis:

  right to left
  left to right