Diffusion, Osmosis And Active Transport In Living Organisms

Definitions:
Diffusion is the passive movement of molecules from a region of high concentration (many
molecules) to a region of low concentration (none or fewer molecules), where molecules are
evenly distributed over time. It can occur in both gases and liquids.
Osmosis is a special kind of diffusion involving the movement of water molecules from a dilute
solution (where there are many water molecules) to a more concentrated solution (where there
are less water molecules and more solutes) through a semi-permeable membrane.
Active Transport is an active process in which molecules are moved against a concentration
gradient (from low to high concentration) with the help of energy released from ATP and special
protein carrier molecules in the cell membrane.
All living organisms are made up of cells which have cell membranes. Cell membranes are
selectively permeable, meaning that only certain molecules are allowed to pass through it. Small
molecules like water, oxygen and some other nutrients can pass through the cell membrane. Thus
the movement of water throughout organisms depends on osmosis while the movement of
nutrients and waste substances (e.g. Carbon dioxide, urea, excess salts) depends on diffusion and
active transport.

Some Examples of Diffusion:

1. In gaseous exchange:
a) In humans and animals- Oxygen diffuses into the respiratory system while carbon
dioxide diffuses out. When we breathe in, the oxygen from the air (high concentration)
passes into respiratory system (low concentration) where it diffuses across the alveoli of
the lungs and enters into the blood to be taken to the cells of the body. Oxygen is needed
for respiration (production of energy)in cells, and once that occurs, carbon dioxide is
released as a waste product into the blood. Carbon dioxide then diffuses across the blood
capillaries and move in the opposite direction to oxygen, as it passes out of the body and
into the atmosphere when we breathe out.
b) In plants, diffusion of carbon dioxide through stomata must take place in order for
photosynthesis to take place. Oxygen released as a by-product of photosynthesis diffuses
out of stomata into the air and some diffuses into the plant cells for respiration.

2. After digestion, when food molecules have been broken down to their smallest
components, they need to be absorbed by the villi of the intestinal walls in order to be
passed from intestines to bloodstream to be transported to all the cells in the body.

Exchange of small sized nutrients and waste substances diffuse across capillaries into
tissues. Capillaries are small, thin blood vessels that are one-cell thick to facilitate faster
diffusion.
3. Movement of nutrients and wastes across the villi of placenta in pregnant women to pass
on nutrients to foetus and get rid of waste substances.
4. Movement of digested nutrients from soil across the hyphae of fungi.
5. Movement of oxygen from water into fish gills.
*Try these investigations at home:
a) Placing a drop of coloured dye/ Kool-Aid/sugar in water; particles distribute
themselves and spread out.
b) Spraying perfume at one end of the room and then being able to smell it at the other
end; the particle of the fragrance spreads out in the air
Some Examples of Osmosis:
1. General movement of water throughout every cell of the body.
2. Osmoregulation by kidneys: maintaining the correct balance of water in body fluids. Too
much water can cause cells to burst and too little water can cause them to shrink. There
must be a balance to avoid unnecessary water movement across the cells. If the blood is
too concentrated, water is retained by reabsorption across the kidney. If too much water is
present in the blood, the excess water is removed from the kidney and released in our
urine.
3. Movement of water into the plant root cells from the soil and then distributed in cells of
the stem and then leaves.
4. Movement of water into the epidermis cells of the skin when bathing for too long causes
wrinkling (swelling of the dead skin layer of the epidermis)
5. Saltwater from the ocean is hypertonic to the cells of the human body; the drinking of
ocean water dehydrates body tissues (especially the cells within the mouth) would make
us thirstier. This is because water leaves cells quickly due to the concentration difference.
Thats why plain water is best to drink to quench thirst. Drinking water instead of juices
or soft drinks is recommended to quench your thirst since the drinks would have in
solutes (e.g. sugars, fruit concentrate) which can promote unwanted water movement out
of the cells.
*Try this at home: Place lettuce in different solutions: dilute (plain water) or concentrated
(salty). The leaves will either shrink or swell based on the movement of water in or out of
the cells.
Some Examples of Active Transport:

1. Sodium-potassium pumps in the cell membranes of cells to maintain a balance of these

ions in and out of the cell. This is especially important in nerve cells to set up a charge
difference and generate electrical impulses cross the nerve cells.
2. Minerals dissolved in soil water are in lower concentration in comparison to the plant
root cells so these minerals are actively transported into the root cells of plants.
3. The uptake of glucose in the intestines
4. The selective reabsorption of glucose, amino acids and salts by the proximal tubule of the
kidneys nephrons.
5. Endocytosis and exocytosis allow larger amounts of substances to be transported into and
out of the cell in vesicles.