What is diffusion of water across a membrane? osmosis mitosis cytokinesis active transport

What is diffusion of water across a membrane? osmosis mitosis cytokinesis active transport
The membrane controls what enters and leaves the cell. This includes using diffusion and osmosis. Sometimes the membrane uses integral proteins as channels and pumps, sometimes the membrane surrounds something which needs moving into or out of the cell.

Learn and test your biological vocabulary for 1.4 membrane transport using these flashcards.


  • Particles move across membranes by simple diffusion, facilitated diffusion, osmosis and active transport.
  • The fluidity of membranes allows materials to be taken into cells by endocytosis or released by exocytosis. Vesicles move materials within cells.
  • Know how the structure helps the function of sodium–potassium pumps for active transport and potassium channels for facilitated diffusion in axons.
  • Understand why tissues (or organs) waiting to be used in medical procedures must be bathed in a solution with the same osmolarity as the cytoplasm to prevent osmosis.
  • Skill: Estimation of osmolarity in tissues by bathing samples in hypotonic and hypertonic solutions. (Practical 2)

These diagram summaries cover the main sections of topic 1.4 about membrane transport.
Study them and draw your own list or concept map from memory.

What is diffusion of water across a membrane? osmosis mitosis cytokinesis active transport

What is diffusion of water across a membrane? osmosis mitosis cytokinesis active transport

  1. What is diffusion of water across a membrane? osmosis mitosis cytokinesis active transport
  2. What is diffusion of water across a membrane? osmosis mitosis cytokinesis active transport

Explaining osmosis is an important skill from this topic.

Answer the question below, on a piece of paper, then check your answer against the model answer below.

The images show two views of some red onion cells under the microscope during osmosis.

What is diffusion of water across a membrane? osmosis mitosis cytokinesis active transport

Describe how osmosis changes the cells in this experiment [4]

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Click the + icon to see a model answer.

In a description always try to link a cause to its effect.

Osmosis is moving water out of the cells.
Water moves from cytoplasm with a higher water potential to the surrounding solution with a higher solute concentration.

The water passes through the selectively-permeable plasma membrane.
The cytoplasm volume gets smaller and separates from the cell wall in places.

This is called plasmolysis.

Extra exam question on osmosis  - - -  click the + symbol to open it -- >

Outline the effect of putting a eukaryotic animal cell into distilled water (3)

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In an outline question always try to give a detail in each answer. Never just list effects.

Click the + icon to see a model answer. 

Outline the effect of putting a eukaryotic animal cell into distilled water (3)

Inward osmosis will take place if a cell is placed into distilled water.

Water moves from the solution with a lower solute concentration (hypotonic) to the cytoplasm which has a higher solute concentration ((hypertonic).

The volume of cytoplasm will increase over time until the cell ruptures / bursts.

Extra exam question on diffusion and active transport - -  click the + symbol to open it -- >

This question requires knowledge of the movement of substances through membranes. 

Question Compare and contrast diffusion and active transport. (4 marks)

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 Examiner hint: Compare and contrast is asking for similarities and differences.

Click the + icon to see a model answer. 

Question Compare and contrast diffusion and active transport. (4 marks)

  • Both active transport and diffusion are involved in transporting substances across a cell membrane.
  • Active transport is an active (ATP requiring) process whereas diffusion is passive (does not use energy).
  • Active transport transports substances against their concentration gradient, in diffusion substances move down their concentration gradient.
  • Active transport requires a protein pump in the membrane which uses ATP, but diffusion does not need membrane proteins.
  • Active transport is selective (the protein pump moves a specific molecule), diffusion depends only on concentration gradients and permeability.

This quiz contains a set of multiple choice questions covering the topic. Explanations of each answer are displayed after you click to check the answer(s).

START QUIZ!

Which of the following best describes exocytosis?

Exocytosis moves molecules out of cells using vesicles.

Exocytosis moves molecules into cells using vesicles.

Exocytosis moves molecules into cells using diffusion.

Exocytosis moves molecule out of cells using diffusion.

The fluidity of membranes allows materials to be released by exocytosis.
Vesicles move materials within cells to the membrane, e.g. enzymes in cells of a gland.

Sodium channels are made from a protein.

Where in the cell are sodium channel proteins found.

These proteins are usually found in the nucleus.

They are found in the cytoplasm.

They are usually only found in mitochondria.

These proteins span across the plasma membrane.

Sodium channel proteins are found spanning the plasma membrane. Their structure helps the function for facilitated diffusion in cells because they allow ions to pass cross the membrane.

If the protein was not a trans-membrane protein then it would not be able to transport ions across the membrane.

This box contains a lung waiting for a transplant operation.

What is diffusion of water across a membrane? osmosis mitosis cytokinesis active transport

What is special about the solution inside the box which surrounds the tissue?

The solution is hypertonic compared to the tissue.

The solution is hypotonic compared to the tissue.

The solution has the same osmolarity as the cells in the tissue.

The solution is made of cytoplasm from cells in the tissue.

Tissues and organs must be kept in a solution with the same osmolarity as the cytoplasm of the cells to prevent osmosis. If they were kept in pure water, osmosis would carry water into the cells and they would burst, causing damage to the cells.

The four cells shown below have each been surrounded by a solution for 1 hour.

What is diffusion of water across a membrane? osmosis mitosis cytokinesis active transport

Which cells have been in a hypertonic solution ?

Cells B,C and D.

Cells A and B

Cell A only.

Cells C and D.

Cell A is swollen turgid, it is in a hypotonic solution or an isotonic solution.

The cells B, C and D show increasing signs of plasmolysis, and so they must be in hypertonic solutions.

Skill: Estimation of osmolarity in tissues by bathing samples in hypotonic and hypertonic solutions. (Practical 2)

The graph below shows the % change in mass at different concentrations of sucrose.

What is diffusion of water across a membrane? osmosis mitosis cytokinesis active transport

Which of the following is the best estimate of the molarity of the cytoplasm of these cells?

0.12 mol

0.5 mol

0.8 mol

0.3 mol

When a sample of cells show no change in mass, then the net movement of water by osmosis must be zero. This shows the concentration of the cytoplasm of the cells. In this graph it would be about 0.3 mol

Which of the following are methods by which molecules can move across membranes?

I. Simple diffusion

II. Facilitated diffusion

III. Cytokinesis

IV. Active transport

I and II

I,II,III and IV

I,II and IV

I,III and IV

There are actually four types of membrane transport which are required in DP Biology, Simple diffusion, facilitated diffusion, osmosis and active transport.

Which of the structures listed below are involved in membrane transport?

  1. Ribosomes
  2. Flagella
  3. Integral proteins
  4. Protein channels

I and II

II and IV

III and IV

II,III and IV

Many transmembrane proteins are involved in transport of molecules across membranes. These can either provide a sort of molecular pore through which ions or molecules can pass (facilitated diffusion), or they can use ATP to actively move molecules, even against the concentration gradient (active transport).These are just two examples, transport can also occur by simple diffusion through the phospholipid bilayer, or by endocytosis.

Cells are often stored in isotonic conditions because they can be damaged in other concentrations, hypertonic, or hypotonic. Which of the descriptions of hypertonic is the most accurate?

Hypertonic solutions have fewer solutes than the cells.

Hypertonic solutions have a higher concentration of solutes than the cells.

Hypertonic solutions have a lower concentration of solutes than the cells.

Hypertonic solutions have less water than the cells.

Hypertonic solutions have a higher concentration of solutes, and lower water potentials than cells.

The diagram shows the transport of sodium ions across a membrane.

What is diffusion of water across a membrane? osmosis mitosis cytokinesis active transport

Which explanation gives the best description of the type of membrane transport shown?.

This is active transport because it is going against the concentration gradient.

This is active transport because it uses energy from ATP.

This is facilitated diffusion because it only transports specific ions.

This is facilitated diffusion because it is helped by ATP.

Facilitated diffusion does not require energy from ATP so this process is active transport. It can move sodium ions against the concentration gradient, but this is not always the case.

Which label in the image below shows the process of endocytosis?

What is diffusion of water across a membrane? osmosis mitosis cytokinesis active transport

Endocytosis is the process where a substance is surrounded by the plasma membrane which forms a vesicle inside the cell that then moves into the cytoplasm, separating from the plasma membrane.


Test your ability to construct biological explanations using the drag and drop questions below.

Test your construction of biological explanations using the drag and drop questions below.

Passive transport across the cell membrane.

Drag and drop the correct term into the gap to describe passive transport.

1

Osmosis muscle cells down against (ATP) Diffusion hypotonic shape oxygen diffusion gradient into the cell hypertonic channel protein

In passive transport, substances can pass across the plasma membrane their without energy expenditure by diffusion or facilitated transport.

occurs across the membrane through the bilayer, for example into muscle cells.

is a form of diffusion where water passess across the plasma membrane from a to a solution.

Facilitated transport uses a . This protein combines with a certain substance, changes (conformation) taking the molecule without using energy, for example glucose into .

Explanation/Examiner hint. Use correct terminology.



Extra drag and drop explanation on endocytosis and exocytosis click the '+' symbol to open it.

Test your construction of biological explanations using the drag and drop questions below.

Endocytosis and exocytosis.

1

Drag and drop the correct term into the gap to outline endocytosis and exocytosis.

plasma membrane vesicle RER particles modified secretion fuse white blood cells Golgi Body

Endocytosis: Engulfing of or droplets by invagination of the plasma membrane forming a .

Example: engulfing pathogenic bacteria.

Exocytosis: Proteins made in the travel to the where they are and formed into vesicles. These vesicles travel to the and with it, releasing their contents.

Example: of hormones.

Explanation/Examiner hint. In an outline response, you can use short, pertinent phrases to state the major points. Examples can gain credit.


    What is the diffusion of water across a cell's membrane?

    Osmosis is a type of simple diffusion in which water molecules diffuse through a selectively permeable membrane from areas of high water concentration to areas of lower water concentration.

    Is diffusion an active transport?

    There are two main modes of transport of molecules across any biological membrane. These are passive and active transport. Passive transport, most commonly by diffusion, occurs along a concentration gradient from high to low concentration. No energy is necessary for this mode of transport.

    Is diffusion A osmosis?

    You can consider osmosis to be a special case of diffusion in which diffusion occurs across a semipermeable membrane and only the water or other solvent moves. Diffusion and osmosis are both passive transport processes that act to equalize the concentration of a solution.

    What is diffusion osmosis and active transport?

    Diffusion is the movement of particles from a high to lower concentration. Osmosis is the diffusion of water across a membrane. Active transport moves particles from low to higher concentration. Combined Science.