<p>I have a bio question: How do roots absorb the soil solution around them? Do they have to absorb water solution through aquaporins seperate from the solutes within the solution, or does the soil solution just get absorbed into the cytoplasm (symplastic route and transmembrane route) as a whole?</p>
<p>I haven't looked at Biology stuff for two months, so I'm not sure what you mean by "soil solution." The contents of soil vary with location, and the nutrient molecules themselves are of different sizes and polarity. I would think it depends on those factors whether the substance makes it into the cytoplasm. Smaller and nonpolar things an get to the symplastic route, whereas antagonistic, yet essential nutrients have to go through the apoplastic route (but they still have to get into the cells to enter the pith...we covered all this really quickly).</p>
<p>Does that help even in the slightest?</p>
<p>It's quite obscure when my high school teacher explained that to me. They said water molecules were absorbed by osmosis, through selectively permeable membranes. The channels does not have to be aquaporin though, it can be any type of channels and may not be bounded with proteins. Note that water that get into root cells may not face cell membranes at first, but may have to go through some cell walls or layers of lignin/suberin or other types of substances. Aquaporins only allow water to get through cell membranes, not through cell walls. </p>
<p>Some ions get into roots by some facilitated diffusion (should be ion channel proteins). Others, however, get into roots through ion-exchange or active transports gates.</p>
<p>Thanks for the help guys. </p>
<p>So the minerals and water diffuse into the xylem from the soil seperately?</p>
<p>Was that all? Then, yep :)</p>
<p>Thanks alot. :)</p>