MINISTRY OF EDUCATION

SECONDARY ENGAGEMENT PROGRAMME

GRADE 10
BIOLOGY
Week 11 Lesson 1

Topic/sub-topic: Movement by diffusion

Objectives
After reading the handout, students will:
- correctly define the term diffusion
- clearly explain what is meant b a diffusion/ concentration gradient.
- briefly explain how the process of diffusion occurs in the human body

Content

- Diffusion is the movement of molecules from a region of high concentration of those

molecules to a region of lower concentration of those molecules.
- Diffusion can happen in gases and in liquids because their particles move randomly from
place to place.
- Diffusion is an important process for living things; it is how substances move in and out
of cells.
Picture showing diffusion taking place
Fact sheet

A diffusion gradient or concentration gradient occurs when there is a difference in the number of
molecules, or the concentration of molecules between the two regions. For example, when a drop
of dye is added to water, the dye molecules move around and between the water molecules and
eventually are spread evenly, even when not stirred. In other words, the dye molecules move
from where they are plentiful to where they are not so plentiful. We say they diffuse.

Substances can also diffuse across membranes if the concentrations are different on both sides
and the membrane is permeable to those molecules.
Some examples of diffusion in the human body
- After a meal the end-products of digestion are at a high concentration in the gut. They
diffuse down their concentration gradient into the blood where they are at a lower
concentration
- Diffusion occurs in the lungs. Carbon dioxide diffuses from the blood where it is at high
concentration into the lung where its concentration is lower. Oxygen diffuses in the other
direction because it has a higher concentration in the lungs and a lower concentration in
the blood.
- When the blood gets near the cells, the oxygen concentration in the blood is higher than
in the cells. The blood came from the lungs where it picked up oxygen. The oxygen
concentration in the cell is low, since the oxygen that was in the cell was used for
 respiration. The oxygen in the blood diffuses into the cell, where it can be used for energy
production during respiration.

Factors Affecting Diffusion

There are a few factors that affect the process of diffusion, which individually and collectively
alters the rate and extent of diffusion. These factors include:

- Temperature
- Area of Interaction
- Size of the Particle.
- The steepness of the concentration gradient.

Importance of Diffusion in Plants

The process of diffusion is important for the plants in the following ways:

- The exchange of gases through stomata takes place by the process of diffusion
- Transpiration occurs by the principle of diffusion
- The ions are absorbed by simple diffusion
- The food material is translocated by this process.
- This process keeps the walls of the internal tissues of the plant moist.
- It is responsible for spreading the ions and molecules throughout the protoplast
- Aroma of flowers is due to the diffusion of aromatic compounds to attract insects.

Home-work

Research on osmosis

References

Biology Dictionary Editors.(2019). Diffusion .Retrieved from

https://biologydictionary.net/diffusion/

The Editors of Enclopaedia of Britannica.(2019). Diffusion. Retrieved from

https://www.britannica.com/science/diffusion