Biology Chapter: Membrane Structure and Fluidity

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Questions and Answers

Which statement best describes facilitated diffusion?

  • It requires energy in the form of ATP.
  • It allows charged particles to pass through the membrane.
  • It only occurs in plant cells.
  • It involves the movement of substances from high to low concentration without energy. (correct)

In terms of osmotic conditions, what occurs in a hypotonic solution relative to a hypertonic solution?

  • The concentration of solutes equalizes immediately.
  • Water moves from the hypertonic solution to the hypotonic solution.
  • No movement of water occurs.
  • Water moves from the hypotonic solution to the hypertonic solution. (correct)

Which of these statements is true regarding animal cells in terms of osmosis?

  • Animal cells have a rigid structural integrity due to cell walls.
  • Animal cells do not possess a cell wall. (correct)
  • Animal cells have a large central vacuole.
  • Animal cells only allow passive transport of large, polar molecules.

What is the definition of osmolarity?

<p>The measure of solute concentration in a litre of water. (C)</p> Signup and view all the answers

Which statement accurately describes the movement of salts across a cell membrane?

<p>Salts require facilitated diffusion through channel proteins due to their charge. (B)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What role does cholesterol play in membrane fluidity?

<p>It binds to phospholipids at high temperatures to prevent excessive fluidity. (D)</p> Signup and view all the answers

Which type of fatty acid increases membrane fluidity when present in higher amounts?

<p>Unsaturated fatty acids. (A)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is the main function of glycoproteins in the membrane?

<p>They act as cell recognition markers. (C)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What type of protein is responsible for active transport across the membrane?

<p>Integral proteins. (B)</p> Signup and view all the answers

Under what condition do saturated fatty acids tend to form a more solid membrane?

<p>At high temperatures. (A)</p> Signup and view all the answers

How does passive transport differ from active transport?

<p>Active transport moves substances against the concentration gradient. (B)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What characterizes integral membrane proteins?

<p>They span the entire membrane and interact with hydrophilic and hydrophobic parts. (D)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What structural feature is typical of membranes according to the fluid mosaic model?

<p>Phospholipids are freely moving within the membrane. (C)</p> Signup and view all the answers

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Study Notes

Membrane Fluidity

  • Membrane fluidity depends on the type of fatty acids and cholesterol between the phospholipids.
  • Unsaturated fatty acids have bends in their chains, making them harder to pack together and increasing fluidity.
  • Saturated fatty acids are straight and pack together more tightly, leading to less fluidity.
  • Cholesterol regulates membrane fluidity by acting as a modulator.
  • At high temperatures, cholesterol binds to phospholipids to prevent them from becoming too fluid.
  • At low temperatures, cholesterol prevents phospholipids from packing too densely to increase fluidity.

Membrane Structure: Fluid Mosaic Model

  • The plasma membrane is composed of a phospholipid bilayer with embedded proteins.
  • Integral membrane proteins pass through the membrane and have both hydrophilic and hydrophobic regions.
  • Peripheral proteins are located on the surface of the membrane and can have various functions.
  • Glycoproteins have chains of sugars (oligosaccharides) attached, serving as cell recognition signals.

Membrane Transport

  • The cell membrane controls what enters and leaves the cell.
  • There are two main types of membrane transport: passive transport and active transport.

Passive Transport

  • Simple diffusion: movement of particles from a region of high concentration to low concentration, requiring no energy.
  • Small, non-polar, and non-charged particles can diffuse directly through the phospholipid bilayer.
  • Facilitated diffusion: movement of particles across a membrane with the help of transport proteins, still along the concentration gradient.
  • Osmosis: movement of water across a semipermeable membrane from an area of high water concentration to an area of low water concentration.

Osmosis

  • Hypotonic solutions have a lower solute concentration than hypertonic solutions.
  • Water moves from a hypotonic solution to a hypertonic solution to equalize the concentration of free-moving water molecules.
  • Animal cells lack a cell wall and use contractile vacuoles to regulate osmotic conditions in unicellular organisms.
  • Plant cells have a cell wall and a large vacuole.

Osmolarity

  • Osmolarity is a measure of solute concentration in a liter of water.
  • Hypertonic solutions have a high solute concentration.
  • Hypotonic solutions have a low or no solute concentration.
  • Isotonic solutions have the same solute concentration on both sides of a membrane.

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