Cambridge O Level Biology · Syllabus 5090 · Transport in Flowering Plants
Mineral Ion Uptake
What is Mineral Ion Uptake?
The absorption of dissolved mineral ions, such as nitrate and magnesium ions, from the soil solution into a root hair cell. Ions enter by diffusion when they are more concentrated in the soil solution than in the cell, so that they move down a concentration gradient, and by active transport when they are already more concentrated inside the cell, so that they must be moved against a concentration gradient using energy released by respiration in the mitochondria.
This definition is part of the Transport in Flowering Plants chapter in Cambridge O Level Biology.
Last reviewed Syllabus 2026-2028