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GCSE Biology · key term
The absorption of water from the soil into a plant, mainly through root hair cells by osmosis.
Used by OCR
Specification B2.2i · Paper 1 (Foundation), Paper 3 (Higher)
Revise: Factors affecting water uptakeConsequently, an environmental factor that increases transpiration will usually increase the plant’s rate of water uptake as well. The two processes are closely connected but are not identical: transpiration is water loss from the shoot, whereas uptake is water entering the plant, mainly through its roots.
Paper 1 (Foundation), Paper 2 (Foundation), Paper 3 (Higher), Paper 4 (Higher)
The movement of water into a plant shoot, which can be estimated by tracking an air bubble in a potometer.
Build each explanation as a chain: environmental change → effect at the leaf or stomata → change in evaporation or the water-vapour concentration gradient → change in transpiration → change in water uptake.
Keep water uptake and transpiration distinct. Uptake occurs mainly at the roots; transpiration is the loss of water vapour from leaves and stems. A rise in transpiration usually causes a rise in uptake to replace the lost water.
A potometer measures water uptake by a shoot. It does not directly measure photosynthesis or water loss.
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The specified techniques include measuring rates through gas production, water uptake and indicator colour change. These are different measurements: choose one that fits the process being investigated, rather than treating them as interchangeable tests for photosynthesis.