Osmosis is a passive process and happens without any expenditure of energy. It involves the movement of molecules from a region of higher concentration to lower concentration until the concentrations become equal on either side of the membrane.
Any solvent can undergo the process of osmosis including gases and supercritical liquids.
There are three different types of solutions:
An isotonic solution is one that has the same concentration of solutes both inside and outside the cell.
A hypertonic solution is one that has a higher solute concentration outside the cell than inside.
A hypotonic solution is one that has a higher solute concentration inside the cell than outside.
The factors affecting the rate of osmosis include:
Pressure.
Temperature.
Surface Area.
Water Potential.
Concentration gradient
The biological importance of osmosis includes:
It is essential for the survival of a cell.
Osmosis plays a key role during the germination of seeds.
Involved in the movement of water molecules between the cell and cell organelles.
In plants, it is involved in the movement of water molecules from the soil into the root nodules.
The mechanism of stomata is mainly because of the response to the osmotic pressure of the guard cells in relation to the epidermal cells.
Regards
Michelle Caren Academy
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