Name: Hunter Davis

Chapter 7 Section 2 Outline

The Plasma Membrane
Main Idea: The plasma membrane helps to maintain a cells homeostasis.
Essential Questions:
How does a cells plasma membrane function?
What are the roles of proteins, carbohydrates, and cholesterol in the plasma
membrane?

I. Function of the Plasma Membrane
The process of maintaining balance in an organisms internal environment is
called homeostasis
One of the structures responsible for homeostasis is the plasma membrane
The plasma membrane forms a thin, flexible boundary between a cell and its
environment.


P
l
a
s
m
a

m
embranes have selective permeability meaning they allow some substances to
pass through while keeping other out.
Control of how, when, and how much of various substances enter and leave the
cell depends on the structure of the plasma membrane.











II. Structure of the Plasma Membrane
The plasma membrane is composed of the phospholipid bilayer.
two layers of phospholipids are arranged tail-to-tail
phospholipids arrange themselves in a way that allows the plasma
membrane to exist in the watery environment
the phospholipid heads are water-loving (hydrophilic) and the tails are
w
a
t
e
r
-
h
a
ti
ng (hydrophobic)











The plasma membrane also contains cholesterol, proteins and carbohydrates.
Proteins
Some proteins called receptors transmit signals
to the inside of the cell.
Some proteins serve as support structures for
the membrane.
Transport Proteins move needed substances and
wastes through the membrane.
Cholesterol
Cholesterol prevents the fatty acid tails of the
phospholipid bilayer from sticking together.
Cholesterol contributes to the fluidity of the
membrane.
Carbohydrates
Carbohydrates define the cells characteristics
Help cells identify chemical signals.


The fluid mosaic model describes the phospholipids in the bilayer as a sea in
which other components can float and move around.
The different substances in the plasma membrane create a pattern or mosaic on
the surface of the cell.


USE YOUR NOTES AND/OR YOUR TEXTBOOK TO ANSWER THE FOLLOWING QUESTIONS

1. What would happen if the cell membrane were not selectively permeable? Support your
response.

2. In the box below, draw the plasma membrane. Include the phospholipid bilayer, cholesterol,
proteins, and carbohydrates. Label each part.










Then they would not be able to keep out waste and other harmful materials.



3. Describe how the plasma membrane helps maintain homeostasis in a cell.
It helps by keeping the inside clean so everybody (the parts of the cell) remains happy and
therefore homeostatic.







4. Identify the molecules in the plasma membrane that provide basic membrane structure, cell
identity, and membrane fluidity.



Basic membrane structure: Proteins, Carbohydrates, and Cholesterol maintain the structure. Also
the phospholipid bilayer.

Cell identity: The cells identity is composed of the inner and outer parts, such as the hydrophilic
heads, and the hydrophobic tails.

Fluidity: Cholesterol contributes to the fluidity.