cell membranes transpiration q&a

what is the main function of the plasma membrane?

it acts as a traffic cop controlling what enters and exits the cell.

what are the two primary types of passive transport?

diffusion and osmosis.

define osmosis.

the movement of water from an area of higher concentration to an area of lower concentration across a semipermeable membrane.

what is a characteristic of the lipid tails in the phospholipid bilayer?

they are hydrophobic, meaning they do not interact well with water.

what does the fluid mosaic model describe?

the plasma membrane as a dynamic structure with proteins floating in a phospholipid sea.

what happens to red blood cells in a hypotonic solution?

they swell and may burst due to excess water intake.

what does hypertonic mean in relation to solution concentration?

a solution with a higher solute concentration compared to another solution.

why is distilled water considered hypotonic?

it has a low concentration of solutes compared to the fluids inside cells.

what is crenation?

the process where red blood cells shrink due to loss of water in a hypertonic solution.

in terms of osmotic balance, what is an isotonic solution?

a solution where solute concentrations are equal inside and outside of the cell.

what is the role of transport proteins in active transport?

they facilitate the movement of substances against their concentration gradient, requiring energy.

define diffusion.

the movement of molecules from an area of higher concentration to an area of lower concentration.

what is brownian movement?

the random motion of particles in a fluid due to their kinetic energy.

what is tonicity?

a measure of the relative concentration of solutes in solutions separated by a semipermeable membrane.

how does active transport differ from passive transport?

active transport requires energy to move substances against their concentration gradient, whereas passive transport does not.

what happens to plant cells in a hypotonic solution?

they become turgid and maintain structure due to water uptake.

what are aquaporins?

specialized transport proteins that facilitate the rapid movement of water across cell membranes.

what term describes the bursting of cells when placed in a hypotonic solution?

lysis.

how does a dialysis tubing relate to plasma membranes?

it acts as a model for studying selective permeability in a laboratory setting.

what happens to animal cells in hypertonic solutions?

they lose water and shrink, leading to potential cell death.

what would you observe in an experiment involving gummy bears in water?

osmosis and diffusion occurring as water enters the gummy bears and colors diffuse out.