BIO CHAPTER 3

BAHAGIAN B
1. Selectively permeable nature of plasma membrane
allows certain substances to move across it.

(a) Describe the structure of plasma membrane based on the fluid mosaic
model.
 Plasma membrane consists of two lipid layers. Each lipid molecule
consists of a hydrophilic head and a hydrophobic tail.
 The hydrophilic head in the outer layer face the extracellular fluid,
whereas the hydrophilic head in the inner layer face the cytoplasm.
 The hydrophobic tail face each other.
 There are various types of protein molecules embedded partially or
fully within the membrane and dispersed/distributed throughout the
phospholipid bilayer.
 Two types of protein molecules are known as carrier protein and
channel protein/pore protein.

(b) Describe how substances move across the selectively permeable

membrane.
 The lipid layer in the plasma membrane consists of two parts, that is,
the polar head and the non-polar tail.
 The polar head attracts water whereas the non-polar tail repels water.
 Gases such as oxygen and carbon dioxide, and lipid-soluble
molecules such as vitamin A,D,E,K move across the phospholipid
bilayer by simple diffusion
 Water move across the phospholipid bilayer by osmosis
 Charged ions such as sodium and potassium move across the plasma
membrane with the help of channel protein by facilitated diffusion
 Large molecules such as glucose and amino acids move across the
plasma membrane with the help of carrier protein by facilitated
diffuson
(c) Explain passive transport process across selectively permeable
membrane in living organisms such as
(i) Gaseous exchange in alveolus and blood capillaries
 In the alveolus, the oxygen concentration is higher than that in the
blood capillary.
 Oxygen diffuses out of the alveolus into the blood capillary by simple
diffusion and then combines with the haemoglobin forming
oxyhaemoglobin to transport the oxygen to the body cells
 In the blood capillary, carbon dioxide concentration is higher than
that in the alveolus
 Carbon dioxide diffuses into the alveolus by simple diffusion and
then eliminated during exhalation

(ii) Absorption of digested food at villus

 The digested food in the villus are glucose, amino acid, fatty acid and
glycerol
 In the ileum, the concentration of digested food is higher than that in
the blood capillary of villus.
 Glucose and amino acid diffuse into the villus with the help of carrier
protein by facilitated diffusion
 Fatty acid and glycerol diffuse into the villus through the lipid layer in
the villus by simple diffusion