UNIT 3: CELLULAR BIOLOGY
3B: Cell Membrane & Transport
Roadmap for the year:
Unit 1: Chemical Basis of Life
Unit 2: Ecology and Human Impact
Unit 3: Cell Biology
 3A Origin of Life
 3B Cellular Membrane and Transport
 3C Cell Structure and Function
Unit 4: Molecular Genetics and Biotechnology
Unit 5: Genetics and Evolution
Unit 6: Human Body Systems
Themes for the year:
How does this unit contribute
to your understanding of the
following themes?
 Life on Earth has various
Levels of Organization
 The Structure of Living
Things leads to their
Function
The Big Picture…
Evidence supports that earth and the organisms that inhabit it have changed greatly over time.
The diversity of life is the result of ongoing evolutionary change. Species alive today have
evolved from ancient common ancestors. Cells are the basic units of structure and function of
all living things. Cells in a multicellular organism are interdependent upon each other. Cells
are dynamic and constantly work towards maintaining homeostasis. Processes that occur at the
cellular level provide the energy and basic structure organisms need to survive.
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Evidence supports that earth and the organisms that inhabit it have changed greatly over time.
The diversity of life is the result of ongoing evolutionary change.
Species alive today have evolved from ancient common ancestors.
Cells are the basic units of structure and function of all living things.
Cells in a multicellular organism are interdependent upon each other.
Cells are dynamic and constantly work towards maintaining homeostasis.
Processes that occur at the cellular level provide the energy and basic structure organisms need to survive.
Form (structure) leads to function.
Suggested Resources…
Homework Assignments
Classwork Assignments
Laboratory Activities
Note Packet
Textbook Chapter 7 (Section 7.3)
Online Textbook Activities: Interactive Art (Passive Transport, Diffusion, Osmosis) and Art in Motion (Protein Pumps,
Endocytosis, Exocytosis)
Directions: Below are check lists of things you should know and things you should
be able to do by the end of the unit. Use this tool to help you prepare for the unit
assessment.
By the conclusion of this unit, you should know
the following:
1. A cell membrane is a selectively permeable
boundary that helps cells maintain homeostasis
by regulating what enters/leaves cells.
2. Specialized molecules like transport proteins
and cholesterol can be found in the cell
membrane.
3. Substances such as oxygen and basic nutrients
must be able to enter cells; waste products
must be able to exit cells through the cell
membrane.
4. Both active and passive transport mechanisms
allow substances to enter/leave cells according
to concentration gradients and/or the cell’s
needs.
5. Passive transport (including diffusion and
osmosis) is the movement of materials across
the cell membrane without cellular energy.
6. The movement of materials against a
concentration difference is known as active
transport. Active transport requires energy.
7. Water moves into or out of cells by osmosis.
A solution is a mixture consisting of a solute
uniformly dissolved in a solvent. The solvent
is identified as that component which makes
up the bulk of the solution.
By the conclusion of this unit, you should
be able to do the following:
1. Describe the different types of biological
molecules and their functions that make up
the cell membrane.
2. Give examples of substances that are
normally moved across cell membranes.
3. Relate the structure of the cell membrane to
its function in selective permeability.
4. Distinguish between passive and active
transport.
5. Compare and contrast passive transport
(diffusion, osmosis, facilitated diffusion) with
active transport (including molecular active
transport and endocytosis/exocytosis).
6. Solve problems involving the movement of
solutes and/or water across selectively
permeable membranes, along their
concentration gradients, including the
identification of hypertonic, hypotonic, or
isotonic solutions.
7. Predict what type of transport would be
expected for the movement of certain
molecules into/out of cells.
Cell Membrane & Transport Key Terms
Words found in the textbook (not all are in the glossary):
1) Diffusion:
2) Facilitated Diffusion :
3) Osmosis :
4) Isotonic :
5) Hypertonic :
6) Hypotonic :
7) Active Transport (pg. 212) :
8) Endocytosis (pg. 213) :
9)
Exocytosis (pg. 213) :
10) Homeostasis :
11) Selectively Permeable :
12) Lipid Bilayer :
13) Solute :
14) Solvent :
15) Cell membrane: