Minerals and Plants
Learning objectivesTo know that plants need minerals for healthy growth.To know some of the symptoms of mineral deficiencies.To know that plants take up minerals by active transport against the concetration gradient
Learning Outcomes
• All students can describe how plants absorb minerals from the roots .
• All students can explain why plants need a variety of minerals fro healthy growth.
• Most students can identify two mineral deficiencies in plants.
• Some students can explain how plants take up minerals by active transport.
WALT: To know that plants need minerals for healthy growth and to
know some of the symptoms of mineral deficiencies
• WILF• All students can describe how plants
absorb minerals from the roots .
• Most students can explain why plants need a variety of minerals for healthy growth.
• Some can analyse the data from an experiment and relate it to active transport and their knowledge and understanding of minerals.
Mineral uptake by root hair cells
• Root hair cells take up dissolved against the concentration gradient.
• They can absorb them from a lower concentration in the soil by active transport ( energy obtained from respiration).
• Minerals are transported up the plant in xylem.
Mineral ions are used by plants for growth and to build new cells.
making proteins for growth
respiration and making roots
respiration and photosynthesis
making chlorophyll
Mineral element How mineral is used in plants
nitrogen (N)
phosphorus (P)
potassium (K)
magnesium (Mg)
What are minerals used for?
Plants need a variety of minerals because they are used by the plant in different ways.
How do minerals affect cell formation?
nitrogen is needed to make amino acids and proteins
phosphorus is needed to make DNA and cell membranes
potassium helps enzymes work during photosynthesis
magnesium is needed to make chlorophyll.
Plants do not grow properly and begin to look unhealthy if they are deprived of minerals.
If a plant does not get enough of a mineral it is said to have a mineral deficiency.
What happens when plants do not get minerals?
Task
• To complete the questions on the active transport work sheet to demonstrate that you can evaluate data and draw conclusions based on your scientific knowledge and understanding