Above is a diagram of a section through part of a young root.
(a) Describe the pathways by which water passes from the soil to the cells of
the cortex shown in the diagram.
The diagram shows the location where mineral ions in the soil enter the plant. There is a greater density of mitochondria in cell X than in a cell of the
root cortex.
(b) With reference to the uptake and transport of mineral ions, suggest why there is a greater density of mitochondria in cell X than in a cell of the root cortex.