Cell Membrane Structure, Osmosis, and Tonicity

Vocabulary flashcards covering solutions, membrane structure components, diffusion, osmosis, and cellular responses to hypertonic and hypotonic environments.

Solute

Substance being dissolved.

Solvent

The liquid doing the dissolving.

Solution

The uniform mix of solute and solvent.

Mixture

Combination of materials keeping their own traits.

Diffusion

Movement from high to low concentration.

Osmosis

Diffusion of water through a membrane, moving from an area of high water concentration to low water concentration.

Aquaporin

A protein channel spanning the membrane that allows water to cross for rapid water transport.

Glycoprotein

A membrane protein with an ID Tag.

Cholesterol

The small structure near the phospholipids that prevents the membrane from being too solid or liquid.

Transport Proteins

The channels spanning the membrane.

Crenate

When an animal cell shrinks in a hypertonic solution.

Cytolysis

When an animal cell bursts in a hypotonic solution.

Plasmolysis

Process where a plant cell membrane pulls away from the wall in a hypertonic solution.

Turgid

The condition of a plant cell being swollen and healthy in a hypotonic solution.

Contractile vacuole

An organelle used by protists to pump out excess water and avoid bursting.

Drinking salt water

Causes your cells to lose water to the salty environment, resulting in cell shrinkage.

Hurricane flooding

An event where salt water creates a hypertonic environment, causing plants to lose water, undergo plasmolysis, and wilt.