Biology π | Movement in and out of cells | 3 Flashcards
What is diffusion?
The net movement of particles from a region of their higher concentration to region of their lower concentration.
Where do particles tend to spread to?
They spread from areas of high concentration to areas of low concentration, eventually evening out.
Why do particles spread from high concentration to low concentration areas?
Particles move around randomly, and when nearer to each other they collide and push each other to areas with a low concentration.
What is Brownian motion?
Brownian motion is when particles move around randomly at all times with kinetic energy.
How do particles move from extracellular fluids to a cytoplasm, in cells?
There are many particles in the extracellular fluids, that move through the cell membrane into the cytoplasm.
How does a cell membrane stop some particles from passing through?
The cell lipid membrane is negatively charged and so only small particles with no charge go through - particles that also have a negative charge being repelled.
How does diffusion support unicellular organisms?
Unicellular organisms only have one cell membrane between the air and the cell, and are small, so can support themselves simply by diffusing oxygen in.
Can diffusion provide animals like us with oxygen?
No, our skin is too thick and our body is too large.
Since humans do not have diffusion, what do we use to get oxygen?
We have created transport systems such as the circulatory system to provide us with oxygen.
How does diffusion work in earthworms?
Earthworms diffuse oxygen into their body and carbon dioxide out, through skin.
How does diffusion work in our lungs?
In the gas exchange, in air sacs, oxygen goes into the air sac and carbon dioxide goes into the blood stream.
How does diffusion work in leaves?
Oxygen and carbon dioxide diffuse through pores in epidermis, and then through spaces between cells.
What are the four factors affecting diffusion rate?
Temperature, concentration gradient, surface area, and distance.
Though having a high body temperature causes diffusion to speed up, why does too high of a temperature cause problems?
It causes the structure of proteins to break up, and things such as antibodies stop working.
How are alveoli adapted for diffusion?
Walls of alveoli and capillaries are only one cell thick. This means the particles have a short diffusion distance.
What do alveoli diffuse?
Oxygen, out of the alveoli. Carbon dioxide from blood to alveoli.
Where are alveoli found?
Mammals and organisms that breathe with lungs.
How are villi adapted for diffusion?
They have large surface area with many capillaries to increase diffusion rate.
What do villi diffuse?
Fatty acids, glycerol, proteins, amino acids into blood streams
Where are villi found?
In any animal at the beginning of the small intestine
How are nerve cells adapted to diffusion?
Synapse between cells let transmitters diffuse across and are short.
What do nerve cells diffuse?
Neurotransmitters.
Where are nerve cells found?
In nerves, in organisms with a nervous system.
How is the placenta adapted for diffusion?
Large surface area between the placenta and uterus wall, capillaries of mother closer to blood stream of baby.
What does the placenta diffuse?
Nutrients, water, oxygen, antibodies