Cell Membrane Transport: Diffusion and Osmosis

Diffusion is the process of particles moving from areas of low concentration to high concentration.

Osmosis is similar to diffusion but only for gases.

Active transport requires energy input.

Facilitated diffusion uses carrier proteins to enable the movement of particles like glucose and ions.

Materials exchange occurs between cells and their environment outside the cell membrane.

Osmosis out of a cell can cause plant cells to swell and become turgid.

Active transport is covered in part 1 of the series.

Examples of diffusion include carbon dioxide moving into plant leaves.

Organisms have specialized exchange surfaces like gills in lungs.

Two-part series on how cells take in useful substances and remove waste using diffusion, osmosis, and active transport.
Materials exchange occurs between cells and their environment across the cell membrane for efficient transfer.
Organisms have specialized exchange surfaces like alveoli in lungs, root hairs, nephrons, and kidneys.
Diffusion is the process of particles spreading out from areas of high concentration to low concentration, requiring a concentration gradient and dissolved substances.
Examples of diffusion include: gas exchange in the lungs (oxygen into blood, carbon dioxide out), carbon dioxide moving into plant leaves, and digested food moving into the blood.
Facilitated diffusion is a type of diffusion that involves carrier proteins to enable the movement of particles like glucose and ions.
Osmosis is similar to diffusion but only for water, moving from a dilute solution to a more concentrated one, creating net movement to the more concentrated side until equilibrium is reached.
Osmosis out of a cell can cause cells to shrivel up (animal cells) or become flaccid (plant cells), while osmosis into a cell makes plant cells swell and become turgid.
Active transport is the process of moving substances against their concentration gradient, requiring energy input.
Active transport is covered in part 2 of the series.
Key facts: Diffusion and osmosis are methods of transporting substances across cell membranes, requiring different conditions, and have various applications in nature.

Explore the processes of diffusion and osmosis, essential for the exchange of substances across cell membranes, and the specialized exchange surfaces in various organisms. Understand the movement of particles and water, their impact on cell health, and real-world examples of these processes.