How do roots absorb water from the soil? Roots do not have holes at their ends, nor are they like hoses, which are hollow inside. They do this essential act through a process called osmosis.
Osmosis takes place when water or any liquid passes through the thin membrane of an organism. Osmosis occurs when two areas contact each other such as an area where there is more water or liquid and an area where water or liquid is less. In the case of roots, there is more water in the soil and less in the root. Water passes from the soil to the roots through the root’s cell membrane during osmosis.These cell membrane allow small molecules such as oxygen, water, carbon dioxide, ammonia, glucose and amino acids to pass through them. However, these cell membrane do not allow larger molecules to pass through them.
This same process can happen in the reverse order too. Therefore, anything that goes in through the process of osmosis can come out in the same way. In our bodies, the membrane of the blood vessels allow substances to pass through in both directions. Digested food goes into the blood steam, and waste carbon dioxide comes out from the blood through the lungs.
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