Term | Definition |
equilibrium | no net gain or loss of water in this environment |
diffusion | the gradual random spreading of molecules from an area of higher concentration to an area of lower concentration |
pinocytosis | bulk flow of large solutes dissolved in a solution across the membrane into a cell |
osmosis | the diffusion of water molecules only |
hypertonic | a cell environment that has a higher solute concentration and lower water concentration than the cell |
facilitated diffusion | movement of large solutes into or out of a cell through a protein with no energy needed |
exocytosis | secretion of large molecules out of the cell using transport vesicles |
phagocytosis | bulk flow of large solid particles or cells across the membrane into the cell; engulfing material |
hypotonic | a cell environment that has lower solute concentration and higher water concentration that the cell |
active transport | the movement of molecules through a membrane with the use of ATP |
transport protein | integral proteins that solutes pass through when crossing a selectively permeable membrane |
concentration gradient | the direction of flow (net movement) of solutes by diffusion |
passive transport | transport of molecules that requires no energy |
sea water the Great Salt Lake, the Dead Sea | hypertonic environments |
tap water; fresh water lakes, rivers, and streams; distilled water | hypotonic environments |
isotonic | a cell environment that has an equal solute and water concentration with the cells |
IVs, contact wetting solutions, tissue baths | isotonic environments |
crenate | the shrinking of animal cells when exposed to a hypertonic environment |
lyse | the rupturing of an animal cell when exposed to a hypotonic environment |
turgid | the swelling of a plant cell when exposed to a hypotonic environment; plant tissue is rigid and firm due to water pressure within the central vacuole |
plasmolysis | the loss of turgor pressure in a plant cell exposed to a hypertonic environment; tissue is flimsy and flexible due to loss of turgor pressure in plant cells |
turgor pressure | internal pressure in cells created by the absorption of water by osmosis |