Questions:1. What are the nutritional requirements of plants?2. What special structures help the plants absorb nutrients from the soil?3. How can you tell if plants do not absorb proper nutrients?4. Among higher organisms, how is nutrient absorption happen? Comparison Between Plant and Animal Nutrition.Nutrient is defined as any substance required for growth, development andmaintenance of an organism. There are two types of organisms based on their nutrition. Thosethat are capable of producing their own food are called autotrophs. heterotrophs are thosethat cannot. For plants, The nutritional requirements include water, carbon dioxide (forphotosynthesis), and essential elements like the micronutrients and the macronutrients. Themicronutrients comprises 0.5% weight of the plant's dry weight. These include Chlorine, Iron,Zinc, Cobalt, Molybdenum and Boron. Macromolecules, on the other hand, include Carbon,Hydrogen, Nitrogen, Macromolecules would include Carbon, Hydrogen, Nitrogen,Potassium, Magnesium and Sulfur. Plants get to absorb these nutrients through the symplastroute which uses the root systems to bring these nutrients from the soil and the apoplast routewhich moves nutrients through the cell wall and intercellular spaces of the root cortex.How do plants absorb these nutrients? There are special structures in plants whichincrease their absorptive capacity. These structures include root hairs, which are tubularoutgrowth found on the roots of vascular plants. Localized swelling found on plants are calledroot nodules. Within these nodules are nitrogen fixing bacteria that has a symbioticrelationship with the plant, important in the conversion of soil ammonia to nitrates. Anothersymbiotic relationship between a fungus and the plant which helps in absorption of nutrientsamong plants are called mycorrhiza. Fungus absorb the scarce minerals that plants are notable to absorb and obtain nitrogen-containing compounds and sugars from plant roots.For the animals, nutritional requirements include: Proteins, carbohydrates and fatswhich need to be broken down in simple forms in order for the cells to absorb. Others are filterfeeders like whales and coelenterates. Leeches, aphids and mosquitoes are examples offluid feeders, wherein they suck fluids that contain the nutrients from the living host. Humans,and other higher forms of animals have adaptations like jaws, teeth and others for eating largechunks of food. They are called bulk feeders.How do animals get to digest food? For unicellular organisms they make use of foodvacuoles which contain hydrolytic enzymes. Other complex animals have vascular cavity orincomplete digestive system composed of a single opening through which the food is takenin and also where the waste material is being disposed of. More complex animals, like humanshave a complete digestive system, where in there is an opening for taking in of food (mouth)and another opening at the end for passage of waste materials (anus). There are alsospecialized organs that transport, process and absorb these digestive nutrients.Source: Reece, Jane B. & Meyers, Noel. & Ury, Lisa A. & Cain, Michael L. & Wasserman,Steven A. & Minorsky, Peter V. & Jackson, Robert B. & Cooke, Bernard J. & CampbelI, NeilA. (2015). Campbell biology. Frenchs Forest, NSW: Pearson

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1. The nutritional requirements of plants are water, carbon dioxide for photosynthesis, essential…

Questions: 1. What are the nutritional requirements of plants? 2. What special structures help the plants absorb nutrients from the soil? 3. How can you tell if plants do not absorb proper nutrients? 4. Among higher organisms, how is nutrient absorption happen?