MCB 181L Study Guide - Final Guide: Graduated Cylinder, Starch, Synthetic Membrane

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All living things have cellular membranes, which function as a semi-permeable barrier for the cell. The semi-permeability of the cellular membrane is crucial for cells because it allows excess molecules to leave and critical molecules to enter the cell. The cellular membrane functions as the gatekeeper of the cell by allowing nutrients to enter and wastes to leave. Passive gate-keeping processes of the cell, diffusion and osmosis, are influenced by the cell"s size and the presence of a concentration gradient. Diffusion is the movement of molecules from high to low concentration. For diffusion, a cell"s size is important for efficient distribution of molecules. As cell size increases, the volume increases at a cubed rate. This causes their volume to increase much faster than their surface area resulting in a smaller surface-area-to-volume ratio. Osmosis is the movement of solvent molecules through a selectively permeable membrane, from a region of low solute concentration, to a region of higher solute concentration.

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