Osmosis

For an organism to work, substances should move into and out of cells. Three processes add to this development - diffusion, osmosis, and active transport.

Osmosis is the diffusion of water molecules, from an area where the water molecules are in higher concentration, to an area where they are in lower concentration, through a partially permeable membrane.

A dilute solution contains a high concentration of water molecules, while a concentrated solution contains a low concentration of water molecules.

Osmosis is the movement of water molecules only.

Osmosis across living cells

Cells contain dilute solutions of ions, sugars, and amino acids.

The cell membrane is partially permeable.

Water will move into and out of cells by osmosis.

Animal cells

Animal cells take in and lose water by osmosis. They don`t have a cell wall, so will change size and shape when placed into solutions that are at a different concentration to the cell substance.

For instance, red blood cells could:

lose water and shrink

acquire water, swell, and burst in a more dilute solution.

In animals, the concentration of body fluids blood plasma and tissue fluid should be kept inside severe cutoff points in the event that cells lose or acquire an excess of water by osmosis, they don`t work proficiently.