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Biology Diffusion: Examples of Diffusion in The Body

Diffusion is the movement of molecules from an area of high concentration to low concentration. It occurs across membranes when a concentration gradient exists. Examples include nutrients diffusing from the intestines into blood, oxygen diffusing from lungs into blood and carbon dioxide diffusing the other way, and waste diffusing out of cells. Osmosis is the diffusion of water across selectively permeable membranes, flowing from low to high water concentration. In plant cells, osmosis in hypotonic solutions causes swelling while hypertonic solutions cause shrinking. Animal cells can burst in hypotonic solutions or shrink in hypertonic ones due to their lack of a cell wall.

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121 views

Biology Diffusion: Examples of Diffusion in The Body

Diffusion is the movement of molecules from an area of high concentration to low concentration. It occurs across membranes when a concentration gradient exists. Examples include nutrients diffusing from the intestines into blood, oxygen diffusing from lungs into blood and carbon dioxide diffusing the other way, and waste diffusing out of cells. Osmosis is the diffusion of water across selectively permeable membranes, flowing from low to high water concentration. In plant cells, osmosis in hypotonic solutions causes swelling while hypertonic solutions cause shrinking. Animal cells can burst in hypotonic solutions or shrink in hypertonic ones due to their lack of a cell wall.

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don
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Westmorland School

Biology
Diffusion
Movement of molecules from an area of high concentration to an area of lower concentration. It
occurs in both liquids and gases. When there is a difference in the concentration of molecules
between two regions, a concentration gradient is or diffusion gradient is said to exist. This
concentration gradient causes molecules from the region of high concentration to move to the area of
lower concentration so that there are equal amounts in both regions.
Concentration gradients also occur across membranes. Once the membrane is permeable (allows
passage), the molecules will diffuse across the membrane.
Examples of Diffusion in the body

After digestion of food, nutrients are at high concentration in the small intestines. The blood
passing through there is at a lower concentration for the nutrients. Therefore, the nutrients will
diffuse from the gut into the blood.

In the lungs, oxygen is at a higher concentration there than in the blood coming in. Carbon
dioxide, on the other hand, is at a higher concentration in the blood than in the lungs. As a
result, carbon dioxide diffuses from the blood into the lungs and oxygen moves from the lungs
into the blood.

Cells require oxygen for respiration and produce carbon dioxide as waste product. Blood
coming from the lungs has a higher concentration of oxygen than the cells. Therefore, oxygen
diffuses from the blood into the cells for respiration. Carbon dioxide will also move from the
cells to the blood where it is at a lower concentration.

Ammonia, a toxic waste product produced by cells, diffuses out of the cell where it is at higher
concentration to the blood where it is a lower concentration so it can be removed from the
body.

Osmosis
Movement (diffusion) of water molecules from an area of high concentration to area of lower
concentration across a selectively (semi) permeable membrane.
Water movement in and out of cells have different effects on cells based on the type of solution it is
placed in.
When a plant cell is placed in an isotonic, that is, it has the same concentration as inside the cell.
There is no concentration gradient. As a result, there is equal movement of water molecules in and
out of the cell. Therefore, there is no net movement or net flow of water.

When a plant cell is placed in a hypotonic solution, that is, a less concentrated (dilute) solution, there
is more water molecules in the solution than inside the cell. As a result of osmosis, more water will

move into the cell. Therefore, there is a net flow of water into the cell, causing the cell to become
turgid (firm).
When a plant is placed in a hypertonic (more concentrated), there is more water inside the cell. There
is a net flow of water out of the cell, resulting in the cell becoming flaccid (limp).
When an animal cell is placed in a hypotonic solution, there is a net flow of water into the cell. Animal
cells do not have a strong cell wall and the cell may eventually rupture or burst.
When an animal cell is placed in a hypertonic solution, there is a net flow of water out of the cell,
causing the whole cell to shrink.

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