TRANSPORT

MECHANISMS
OBJECTIVES:
 After going through this module, you are expected to:

1. Describe a structure for transport of mechanisms.

2. Explain the transport mechanisms of cells through passive and active transport.

3. Explain how different factors affect the rate of diffusion and osmosis
Choose the letter of the correct answer. Write the chosen letter on a separate sheet of
paper or in your notebook.

1. Which of the following statements is a function of a cell membrane?

a. The cell membrane keeps the cell wall in place.

b. The cell membrane stores water, salt, proteins, and carbohydrates.

c. The cell membrane breaks down lipids, carbohydrates, and proteins from foods.

d. The cell membrane regulates the movement of materials into and out of the cell.

2. The cell membrane consists primarily of a thin layer of amphipathic phospholipids

“water-loving” and “water-fearing” region. Which term means “water-loving”?
e. Hydrophilic

f. Hydrophobic

g. Nonpolar

h. Tail
3. What do you call the movement of water across a membrane?
a. Diffusion

b. Endocytosis

c. Exocytosis

d. Osmosis

4. Which of the following processes moves molecules using cellular energy?

e. Diffusion

f. Facilitated diffusion

g. Osmosis

h. Pinocytosis

5. When an animal cell put in a hypotonic environment, what would happen?

i. An animal cell will swell.

j. An animal cell will shrink.

k. An animal cell will secrete enzymes.

l. An animal cell will remain unchanged.

6. Which of the following statements describes selective permeability?
a. The ability of the cell membrane to allow some things to pass through while preventing
other things from passing through.
b. The movement of molecules from an area of concentration to an area of low concentration.

c. The movement of materials across the cell membrane that requires no energy from the cell.

d. The movement of materials through (or across) the cell membrane.

7. When cells take in food particles through active transport, what is it called?
e. Exocytosis

f. Osmosis
g. Phagocytosis

h. Pinocytosis

8. When cells form a vesicle to take in materials, which form of transport is occurring?
i. Endocytosis
j. Exocytosis
k. Facilitated diffusion

l. Osmosis
9. Which of the following statements shows the difference between active and passive transport?
a. Active transport uses hormones and passive transport does not.

b. Active transport stores transport proteins and passive transport releases.

c. Active transport uses ATP as energy and passive transport does not require energy.

d. Active transport does not need energy and passive transport uses ATP as energy.

10. An animal cell that is surrounded by fresh water will burst because the osmotic pressure
causes ___________.
e. water to move into the cell.

f. water to move out of the cell.

g. solutes to move into the cell.

h. solutes to move out of the cell.

11. In which solution will water move into and out of the cell at the same rate?
i. Hypertonic
j. Hypotonic
k. Isotonic

l. Plasmolysis
12. Which of the following transport processes moves the molecules against a concentration gradient?
a. Active transport
b. Diffusion

c. Facilitated diffusion
d. Osmosis

13. During diffusion, when the concentration of molecules on both sides of a membrane is the same,
the molecules will _____________.
e. stop moving across the membrane.
f. move across the membrane to the inside of the cell.
g. move across the membrane to the outside of the cell.
h. continue to move across the membrane in both directions.

14. Due to higher concentration of oxygen in the air than your blood, oxygen goes from the lungs into
the red blood cells by ___________.
i. Active transport
j. Diffusion
k. Facilitated diffusion

l. Osmosis
15. What type of cell transport is illustrated below?

a. Diffusion

b. Endocytosis and Exocytosis

c. Facilitated Diffusion

d. Osmosis
ANSWER KEY
1. D
2. A
3. D
4. D
5. A
6. A
7. C
8. A
9. C
10. A
11. C
12. A
13. D
14. B
15. C
CROSSING PLASMA
MEMBRANES
 If a cell were a house, the plasma membrane would be
walls with windows and doors. Moving things in and out of
the cell is an important role of the plasma membrane. It
controls everything that enters and leaves the cell. There
are two basic ways that substances can cross the plasma
membrane: passive transport, which requires no energy;
and active transport, which requires energy. Passive
transport is explained in this section and Active transport is
explained in the next section, Active Transport and
Homeostasis.
phospholipid bilayer the
two arranged layer of cell
membrane.

Phospholipids are the

foundation of all biological
 The phospholipid bilayer consists of two layers of membranes.
phospholipids, with a hydrophobic, or water-
 major membrane lipids that consist of lipid
hating, interior and a hydrophilic, or water-loving,
bilayers. This basic cellular structure acts as a
exterior. The hydrophilic (polar) head group and
barrier to protect the cell against various
hydrophobic tails (fatty acid chains) are depicted
environmental insults and more importantly,
in the single phospholipid molecule
enables multiple cellular processes to occur in
subcellular compartments.
WHAT ARE THE FUNCTIONS
OF THE PLASMA MEMBRANE?
It protects the cell from its surroundings.
It acts as is selectively permeable to ions and
organic molecules.
It keeps toxic substances out of the cell.
It receives chemical messengers from other
cell.
THE DIFFERENT CATEGORIES
OF CELL TRANSPORT
PASSIVE TRANSPORT
Passive transport involves the movement of
materials through the cell membrane without
the expenditure or use of energy. This
process does not require energy because the
materials move along the concentration
gradient, that is moving form a region of high
concentration to a region of low
concentration.
TYPES OF PASSIVE
TRANSPORT
Simple Diffusion
Osmosis
Facilitated Diffusion
SIMPLE DIFFUSION
It is the process in which solutes are passed through
the concentration gradient in a solution across a
semipermeable membrane. The assistance of
membrane proteins is not required in this process of
diffusion wherein substances move from higher
concentration to lower.
OSMOSIS
 This is the diffusion of water across the cell membrane. The
direction of the movement of water depends on the amount of
dissolved substances or solute concentration of the solution
surrounding a cell. If the solute concentration of the solution is
greater than that of a cell (hypertonic solution), water will
move out from the cell, causing the cell to shrink. Conversely, if
the solute concentration is less than that of a cell (hypotonic
solution), water will tend to move into the cell, causing it to
expand, and even burst. However, if the solute concentration is
equal to that of a cell (isotonic solution), then there will be no
net water movement. Thus, the cell remains intact.
 This processes moves molecules using cellular energy.
 Osmosis demonstration with red blood cells (animal cell) and
Fig.2. Solute molecules move from low plant cell walls places in a hypertonic, isotonic, and hypotonic
to high solute solution
Hypertonic solution. A solution Isotonic solution. A solution that has Hypotonic solution. A solution that
that has a higher solute the same solute concentration as has a lower solute concentration
concentration than another another solution. There is no net than another solution. Water
solution. Water particles will move movement of water particles, and the particles will move into the cell,
out of the cell, causing crenation. overall concentration on both sides causing the cell to expand and
of the cell membrane remains eventually lyse.
constant.
Hypertonic solution. The red blood
cell will appear to shrink as the
water flows out of the cell and into
the surrounding environment.

Isotonic solution. The red blood cell

will retain its normal shape in this
environment as the amount of water
entering the cell is the same as the
amount leaving the cell.

Hypotonic solution. The red blood

cell in this environment will become
visibly swollen and potentially
rupture as water rushes into the
cell.
FACILITATED DIFFUSION.
 In this type of diffusion, protein molecules in the cell membrane act
as carriers for certain materials. Molecules such as glucose and
steroid hormones may be too large to penetrate the cell membrane,
thus requiring the help of protein carriers to bring them into the cell.
 In facilitated diffusion, molecules diffuse across the plasma
membrane with assistance from membrane proteins, such as
channels and carriers. A concentration gradient exists for these
molecules, so they have the potential to diffuse into (or out of) the
cell by moving down it.
 Diffusion with the help of transport proteins is called facilitated
diffusion
Here are several types of transport proteins, including channel proteins and carrier
proteins.
 Channel proteins form pores, or tiny holes, in the membrane. This allows water
molecules and small ions to pass through the membrane without coming into contact
with the hydrophobic tails of the lipid molecules in the interior of the membrane.
 Carrier proteins bind with specific ions or molecules, and in doing so, they change
shape. As carrier proteins change shape, they carry the ions or molecules across the
membrane.
ACTIVE TRANSPORT
 This involves the expenditure of energy by the cell, since the movement
of materials goes against the concentration gradient, that is from a low
concentration area to a high concentration area. Protein carriers in the
cell membrane are provided with energy by the cell to perform such
function.
 Cells can move substances in across the plasma membrane by the
import process of endocytosis or out across the plasma membrane via
the export process of exocytosis. Some cells discharge wastes this
way or secrete proteins, such as hormones or digestive enzymes, into
the bloodstream or into a food-digesting organ like the stomach or small
intestine.
ENDOCYTOSIS
is the process by which a cell membrane
invaginates and forms a pocket around a
cluster of molecules. This pocket pinches off
and forms a vesicle that transports the
molecules into the cell.
THREE TYPES OF
ENDOCYTOSIS
• Phagocytosis- known as “cell eating”, the type of endocytosis
through which a cell takes in food particles.
• Pinocytosis- known as “cell-drinking”, the type of endocytosis by
which a cell absorbs small particles outside and brings them inside.
• Receptor-mediated endocytosis- process by which cells
absorb metabolites, hormones, proteins by the inward budding of the
plasma membrane. It is a form of endocytosis in which receptor
proteins on the cell surface use to capture a specific target molecule.
WHAT FACTORS AFFECT THE
RATE OF DIFFUSION?
Particles will always move around in a medium, but the overall rate of diffusion can be affected by many
factors.
Concentration
 If the difference in concentration is higher, then the molecules will go down
the concentration gradient faster. If there is not as great of a difference in
concentration, the molecules will not move as quickly, and the rate of diffusion
will decrease.
Temperature
 Particle move due to the kinetic energy associated with them. as temperature
increases, the kinetic energy associated with each particle also increases. As
a result, particles will move faster. If they can move faster, then they can also
diffuse faster.
Mass of Particle
Heavier particles will move more slowly and so will have a slower rate
of diffusion. Smaller particles on the other hand will diffuse faster.
Solvent Properties
 Viscosity and density greatly affect diffusion. If the medium that a given
particle must diffuse through is very dense or viscous, then the particles
will have a harder time diffusing through it. So, the rate of diffusion will
be lower. If the medium is less dense or less viscous, then the particles
will be able to move more quickly and will diffuse faster.
FACTORS THAT AFFECT
OSMOSIS
 1. Concentration gradient
The greater the concentration difference, the faster
the rate of osmosis.
 2. Temperature.
The higher the temperature, the faster the rate of
osmosis.