Does facilitated transport require energy?

Understand the Problem

The question is asking whether facilitated transport, a biological process for moving molecules across cell membranes via transport proteins, requires energy input. The high level approach is to evaluate the mechanism of facilitated transport and its energy requirements.

More Information

Facilitated transport is a type of passive transport. It involves the use of protein channels or carriers in the cell membrane to help specific molecules cross the membrane, but it does not utilize ATP or other sources of cellular energy.

Tips

A common mistake is to confuse facilitated transport with active transport. Remember that facilitated transport moves molecules down their concentration gradient and does not require energy, whereas active transport requires energy to move molecules against their gradient.

Sources

• Facilitated Diffusion | SpringerLink - link.springer.com
• Facilitated Diffusion - Biology Pages - biology-pages.info