1. Diffusion and Osmosis in plant and animal cells
Intermediate 2 Biology
Unit 1: Living Cells
Diffusion and Osmosis in plant and animal cells

2. Diffusion Learning Objectives
Name the method by which substances move in and out of cells.
Define the term ‘diffusion’
State when diffusion will stop.
Identify concentration differences and predict the direction of movement of substances by diffusion in a given diagram.
State which substances enter and leave cells by diffusion.
Explain the importance of diffusion to cells.

3. Diffusion
Diffusion is the net movement of molecules of a substance from a region of high concentration to an region of low concentration until the concentrations become equal.
The difference in concentration is called the concentration gradient.

4. Diffusion in Organisms
Unicellular organisms
Multicellular organisms
Oxygen diffuses into the cell
Carbon dioxide diffuses out of the cell
Diffusion of food substances into the cytoplasm
Examples
Paramecium
Ameoba
Diffusion in the alveoli
O2 into the blood
CO2 into the alveoli
Diffusion between the blood and body cells
O2 from the blood into the body cells
CO2 from the body cells into the blood

5. Role of the cell membrane
The cell surface membrane is selectively permeable
Small molecules can pass freely e.g. Oxygen, water, carbon dioxide
Some molecules e.g. Glucose can pass through more slowly
Large insoluble molecules e.g. Starch can not pass through

6. Osmosis Learning Objectives
Name the method by which water passes into and out of cells.
Explain what a selectively permeable membrane is.
Explain what is meant by a concentration gradient.
Define osmosis using the terms selectively permeable membrane and concentration gradient.
Identify water concentration gradients when given percentage solute concentrations.
Predict the direction of water movement between 2 solutions of known concentration of solute
Describe a visking tubing experiment involving 2 solutions of different concentration and predict its results

7. Osmosis
Osmosis is the net movement of water from a region of high water concentration to a region of low water concentration (down a water concentration gradient) across a selectively permeable membrane.

8. Relative water concentrations
Hypotonic
Solution with the higher water concentration
Isotonic
Solutions of equal water concentrations
Hypertonic
Solution with the lower water concentration

9. Osmosis in plant and animal cells Learning Objectives
Explain why osmotic effects are different on plant cells compared with animal cells.
State the meaning of the terms: hypertonic, hypotonic and isotonic.
Describe the effects on plant cells of immersion in different solutions.
State the meanings of the words: flaccid, turgid and plasmolysed.
Predict the effect of different solutions on plant cells.
Recognise and label plant cells in various conditions.
Describe the effects on animal cells of immersion in different solutions.
Predict the effect of different solutions on animal cells.

10. Osmosis in red blood cells (pg 33 Int 2 Bio 1st Edition)
If a red blood cell is placed in a hypotonic solution it will burst
If a red blood cell is placed in an isotonic solution there is no net movement of water and the cell remains unchanged
If a red blood cell is placed in a hypertonic solution is will shrink (crenate)

11. Plant cells (pg 33 Int 2 Bio 1st Edition)
If a plant cell is placed in a hypotonic solution it becomes turgid
If a plant cell is placed in an isotonic solution there is no net movement of water and the cell remains unchanged
If a plant cell is placed in a hypertonic solution it becomes plasmolysed

12. Osmoregulation in Paramecium
Paramecium lives in fresh water, as a result the organism is continuously gaining water by osmosis
The cell is prevented from bursting by the presence of contractile vacuoles
The contractile vacuoles have canals that collect excess water, when swollen the vacuole contracts and discharges it contents through a pore
There are two contractile vacuoles and they discharge their contents alternately