How can a shark

find injured prey so

quickly?

DIFFUSION & LIFE

B2 Additional
 LEARNING OBJECTIVES

⦿To describe DIFFUSION

⦿To explain what affects the RATE of
DIFFUSION
⦿To link diffusion with EXAMPLES in
BIOLOGY
🞆Respiration
🞆Digestion
🞆Placenta
🞆Leaf Cells
🞆Nerve Impulses
DIFFUSION
⦿Starter:
◼Explain in terms
of particles how
the smell of the
perfume gets from
one side of the
class to the other
When you have just
sprayed perfume,
the concentration
of perfume particles
in that area is very
high.

Diffusion is the
movement of the
‘smelly’ particles,
through particles of
air, to an area
where they are at a
LOWER
concentration.
Maybe you can
smell your
dinner cooking
when you get
home... This is
due to
diffusion.
 MOVING MOLECULES
In which states are molecules able to diffuse?

solid (e.g. ice) liquid (e.g. water) gas (e.g. steam)

Molecules in liquids and gases are constantly moving

and bumping into each other. This means that they tend
to spread out.
 DIFFUSION

❑ The net movement of particles from an

area of high concentration to an area of
low concentration
❑ Due to the random movement of
particles
❑ A passive process which means that no
energy is needed
 LOW HIGH
concentration concentration

A difference in concentration between 2 areas

is called a CONCENTRATION
GRADIENT.

What effect might the gradient have on speed

of diffusion?
 Draw both sets of diagrams, write how
Rate of Diffusion the rate of diffusion changes when the
concentration gradient changes

Fast

Steep concentration gradient

Slow

Shallow concentration gradient

FACTORS AFFECTING DIFFUSION

❑ Concentration gradient
❑ Temperature
❑ Distance particles must travel

Faster Diffusion When...

⮚Large concentration gradient
⮚Higher Temperature
⮚Short distance
 ThinkDIFFUSION
WHEN WILL – Pair - Share
STOP?

?
 Draw the diagrams next to each
other and copy the captions

The particles The particles

They slowly The particles
are separate are fully
start to mix due are now nearly
when first put diffuse.
to their random fully diffuse.
together. motion.

Has diffusion stopped completely?

Explain your answer
DIFFUSION IN ACTION: ONE GAS
DIFFUSION IN ACTION: TWO GASES
BIOLOGICAL DIFFUSION
Dissolved substances have to pass through the
partially permeable cell membrane to get into or
out of a cell.
Diffusion is one of the processes that allows this to
happen..

What substances are

we talking about?
WHY IS DIFFUSION IMPORTANT?

All living cells rely on diffusion to live.

They use it for:

⯄ Getting raw materials for

respiration (dissolved
substances and gases)

⯄ Removing waste products (eg. from respiration)

⯄ Plants use of photosynthesis (raw materials
in, waste products out)

Examples…
 1. DIFFUSION AND BREATHING
Oxygen in inhaled air diffuses
through the lungs and into the
bloodstream. The oxygen is then
transported throughout the body.

Carbon dioxide is the waste gas produced by respiration.

Carbon dioxide diffuses from body tissues into the bloodstream
and is exhaled via the lungs.

Where does gas exchange take place in the lungs?

CROSS-SECTION THROUGH AN
ALVEOLUS
Alveoli are the tiny air sacs at the end of the bronchioles, in
which gas exchange occurs.

deoxygenated blood air in/out

(from body tissues)

alveolus
capillary

oxygenated
blood (to body
tissues)

red blood cell

 HOW ARE ALVEOLI ADAPTED?
Alveoli have several adaptations that help to make gas exchange
very efficient:
● They are very thin – only one cell thick.
● They are covered by a network of fine capillaries, enabling
gases to pass almost directly between the lungs and
bloodstream.
● They are moist, encouraging gas molecules to easily
dissolve.
● They have a large combined surface area, allowing large
amounts of gases to be exchanged with each breath.
RESPIRATION & DIFFUSION
2. DIFFUSION AND DIGESTION
Digestion breaks down large food molecules into smaller
molecules such as glucose, amino acids and fatty acids that can
be easily absorbed.

Small food molecules are usually absorbed in the small

intestine, diffusing across the intestine wall and into the
bloodstream.
HOW IS THE SMALL INTESTINE ADAPTED?

capillary network
Vill
i

small intestine
blood vessels
DIFFUSION IN DIGESTION
The small intestine has these things called villi.
The best way of explaining them, is that they look like millions of little sausages.

The villi INCREASE THE OVERALL SURFACE AREA of the small intestine, thus
increasing the volume of substances which can be absorbed by diffusion.

The villi have a very GOOD BLOOD SUPPLY as each contains a capillary, which leads
to the main blood supply, so when substances diffuse, they can go straight to the
bloodstream.

Attached to each villi are thousands and thousands of MICROVILLI.

These are exactly the same as the villi, except a lot smaller.

Again, the purpose of these is to further increase the surface area. Like before, as well,
this increasing the volume of substances which can be absorbed.

So, the main points to remember are:

⦿ The villi and microvilli result in a LARGE SURFACE AREA, for maximum absorption.

⦿ The villi also give a GOOD BLOOD SUPPLY to absorb the nutrients.
3. DIFFUSION AND NERVES IMPULSES
A synapse is a junction between two neurones across which
electrical signals must pass.
synaptic cleft

neurotransmitter

neurotransmitter nerve impulse

receptor

Neurotransmitter molecules diffuse from vesicles towards the

neurotransmitter receptors, moving from an area of high
concentration to low concentration.
4. DIFFUSION AND THE
PLACENTA
•The placenta is an organ that
develops in the uterus during
pregnancy.
•The umbilical cord connects the
placenta to the foetus.
•It enables nutrients and oxygen to pass
from the mother to the foetus by diffusion,
and waste substances to diffuse from the
foetus back to the mother.
DIFFUSION AND THE PLACENTA
•The placenta can stop certain
molecules and bacteria from
diffusing through

•It is unable to stop many harmful

substances such as alcohol,
chemicals and some types of virus
from diffusing through, reaching the
foetus.
DIFFUSION AND THE PLACENTA
How does the placenta work?
blood to mother
umbilical • low in O2/nutrients,
cord • high in CO2/waste

placental villi
umbilical increase surface
artery area for diffusion

blood from mother

• high in O2/nutrients
umbilical
• low in CO2/waste
vein
 PHOTOSYNTHESIS
& DIFFUSION
carbon dioxide + water → oxygen + glucose
⯄Carbon dioxide diffuses in
through the stomata

⯄ Oxygen and water diffuse

out of the stomata

❖ During photosynthesis, the level of

CO2 is low inside the leaf

❖ This creates a big concentration

gradient so CO2 diffuses into the cell
DIFFUSION AND THE LEAF

Label
the leaf