Cellular Processes

Getting materials in and out of cells Food needs to get into the cell, wastes need to get out, and water is constantly moving back and forth. Substances that can easily pass through the semi-permeable cell membrane do so by passive transport Diffusion: the movement of molecules from an area of high concentration to an area of low concentration

Osmosis: the diffusion of water across a cell membrane

When either the molecules are too big or there’s a higher concentration inside the cell, substances move by active transport; energy is required to move the molecule through a carrier protein

Cellular Respiration During respiration, cells break down sugar (glucose) to get energy (ATP). This energy enables the cell to perform all of its life processes. Where does respiration occur? In the mitochondria of all cells

Cellular Reproduction A cell continues growing until it is mature and ready to reproduce. Cells reproduce asexually by cellular division (the cell splits in half). During mitosis, the cell makes a copy of its DNA so each new cell will have an exact set of directions for how to live