Chapter 5

Homeostasis and Transport

Section 1

PASSIVE TRANSPORT
• Cell membranes help organisms maintain 
homeostasis by controlling what substances 
may enter or leave cells

• Some substances can cross the cell membrane 
without the cell membrane using energy

• The movement of such substances across the 
membrane is known as passive transport
 Diffusion
• Simplest type of
transport
• Diffusion  movement
of molecules from
higher to lower
concentration
• Concentration gradient
 difference in
concentration of
molecules across a
space
• Continues until concentration of
molecules of a substance is the same
across a space
– Equillibrium
 Diffusion across membranes
• Remember from Ch. 4 that the cell
membrane is partially permeable
– Only some substances get through

• Substances that can dissolve in lipids diffuse

through lipid bilayer
– Because carbon dioxide and oxygen are
nonpolar, they dissolve in lipids
Osmosis

• Aqueous solutions
are made of solute
and solvent.
– Solutes may diffuse
– Osmosis (ahz-MOH-
suhs)  movement
of water molecules
from high to low
concentration
 Direction of Osmosis

• Net direction depends on

concentration of solutes on either side
of membrane

• Depending on relationship of
concentrations, osmosis has different
effects on cells
 Isotonic

• When the concentrations inside and outside

the cell are EQUAL
 Hypotonic

• When the concentration of solute outside

cell is LOWER than inside
• Net movement of water INTO the cell
• Cytolysis (sie-TAHL-uh-suhs) when water
makes cell burst (explode)
 Hypertonic

• When the concentration of solute outside cell

is HIGHER than inside
• Net movement of water OUSTIDE the cell
 How cells deal with osmosis
• Paramecium lives in
fresh water,
hypotonic
environment
– Has contractile
vacuole to get rid of
water
 Osmosis and plant cells
• Because of cell wall, plant cell does NOT burst
• Instead, when full, turgor pressure is exerted on the
cell wall
• When cell membrane shrinks away from cell wall it is
called plasmolysis (plaz-MAHL-uh-suhs)
 Facilitated diffusion
• Used for
molecules that
cannot diffuse
through cell
membranes
– Insoluble in lipids
– Too large

• Movement of
molecules
assisted by
carrier proteins
Carrier proteins
When molecule binds
to carrier protein,
the protein
changes shape to
allow the molecule
in/out of the cell

Carrier proteins are

specific for the type
of molecule they
transport
• Many cells depend on glucose for energy 
needs
• Molecules too big to diffuse easily across cell 
membrane
• When glucose in cell is lower than glucose 
outside cell, carrier proteins transport it in
 Diffusion through ion channels
• Ion channel  membrane protein that
transports specific ions
• Sodium (Na+), potassium (K+),
calcium (Ca+2), and chloride (Cl-)
–Not soluble in lipids
• Specific for type of ion it transports
• Some always open, some “gated”
In many cases, cells must move materials from an area of lower
concentration to an area of higher concentration, or “up” their
concentration gradient. Such movement of materials in known as active
transport. Unlike passive transport, active transport requires a cell to
expend energy.

ACTIVE TRANSPORT
 Cell membrane pumps
• Carrier proteins help with active
transport too
– Called “pumps” because they move
substances against gradient

• Works similar to facilitated diffusion

with protein changing shape
Sodium-potassium (Na-K) pump
• 3 Na ions go inside
protein
• One phosphate group
taken off ATP and
attached to protein
– Makes protein
change shape
• 3 Na ions released
outside cell
• 2 K ions enter protein
• Phosphate taken off
protein
– Make protein change
shape again
• 2 K ions released inside
cell
• Top speed = 450Na/300K
per second!
Purpose of the Na-K pump:
• Creates electrical gradient against cell
membrane
• Outside, more Na+ being pumped out than
K+ being pumped in
– More positive outside the cell
– Important for nerve impulses
 Endocytosis and exocytosis
• Some molecules too large to pass
through cell membrane or carrier
proteins
• Endocytosis and exocytosis used to
transport large molecules OR large
AMOUNTS of small molecules
• Endo  in
• Exo  out
 Endocytosis (en-doh-sie-TOH-
suhs)
• Cells ingest external
fluid,
macromolecules,
and large particles
• Substances
enclosed by portion
of membrane, folds
and pinches off
– Vesicle
• 2 types of endocytosis, depending on
substance being brought in

• 1. pinocytosis (pin-oh-sie-TOH-suhs) 
involves transport of solutes or fluids
• 2. phagocytosis (fag-oh-sie-TOH-
suhs) movement of large particles or
whole cells
Exocytosis (ek-soh-sie-TOH-suhs)
• Reverse of endocytosis
• Vesicles in cytoplasm fuse with cell
membrane
• Releases contents to outside of cell