What Are The Importance Of Ions In Living Organisms
Effect of ions on living organisms (24 marks)
An ion is a charged atom or molecule. This is because it does not have an equal amount of protons and electrons, therefore giving the atom an overall charge. An example of an ion is , this is sodium and the plus sign represents an overall positive charge. Ions are very important to living organisms as they are essential for life, they play an important role within the cell allowing mechanisms within the living organisms such as respiration, to take place.
Ions play a big part in the nitrogen cycle. During the nitrogen cycle, plants take up nitrate ions from the soil by active transport through the root hair cells. This is then used to make proteins within the cell. Consumers then eat the plants and digest …show more content…
Sodium and potassium are important within the nervous impulse; without those living organisms would not be able to send an impulse across a nerve, therefore we would not be able to survive. This is because, for depolarisation to take place, firstly there must be a resting potential at -70mv, this is acquired by the sodium-potassium pump, which pumps 3 ions out of the ion in exchange for 2 ions into the axon. But the membrane is more permeable to potassium than sodium, therefore some potassium leaks out of the axon until an equilibrium of the tendency for potassium ions to enter down its electrical gradient is equal to the tendency for potassium to leave axon down its diffusion gradient; thus setting up an electrochemical gradient and causing the potential difference to stabilise at -70mv. This is called the resting potential. Ions are present throughout the whole process of depolarisation. With the use of protein gates and channels ions can be passed inside and outside of the axon, changing the potential difference due to the charge of the ions therefore allowing them to pass along a nervous impulse by setting up a local electric
An ion is a charged atom or molecule. This is because it does not have an equal amount of protons and electrons, therefore giving the atom an overall charge. An example of an ion is , this is sodium and the plus sign represents an overall positive charge. Ions are very important to living organisms as they are essential for life, they play an important role within the cell allowing mechanisms within the living organisms such as respiration, to take place.
Ions play a big part in the nitrogen cycle. During the nitrogen cycle, plants take up nitrate ions from the soil by active transport through the root hair cells. This is then used to make proteins within the cell. Consumers then eat the plants and digest …show more content…
Sodium and potassium are important within the nervous impulse; without those living organisms would not be able to send an impulse across a nerve, therefore we would not be able to survive. This is because, for depolarisation to take place, firstly there must be a resting potential at -70mv, this is acquired by the sodium-potassium pump, which pumps 3 ions out of the ion in exchange for 2 ions into the axon. But the membrane is more permeable to potassium than sodium, therefore some potassium leaks out of the axon until an equilibrium of the tendency for potassium ions to enter down its electrical gradient is equal to the tendency for potassium to leave axon down its diffusion gradient; thus setting up an electrochemical gradient and causing the potential difference to stabilise at -70mv. This is called the resting potential. Ions are present throughout the whole process of depolarisation. With the use of protein gates and channels ions can be passed inside and outside of the axon, changing the potential difference due to the charge of the ions therefore allowing them to pass along a nervous impulse by setting up a local electric