Active vs Passive Transport

Active and Passive transport are two important biological transport processes that help to move substances such as nutrients, oxygen, water, and other macromolecules within the cell, along with the elimination of waste products using different and contrasting mechanisms.

How is Active Transport Different from Passive Transport

Basis For Comparison	Active Transport	Passive Transport
What Happens in the Process	Movement of substances across a biological membrane from a region of their low concentration to a region of high concentration	Movement of substances from a region of their high concentration to a region of low concentration
Nature of the Process	Highly selective process	Partly selective process
Rate of the Process	It is a fast process	It is a slow process
Direction of Transport	Unidirectional, against the concentration gradient of the substance	Bidirectional, along the concentration gradient of the substance
Influence of Temperature	Influenced by temperature	Not influenced by temperature
Involvement of Carrier Proteins	Requires carrier protein	Do not require carrier protein
Requirement of Energy	Requires cellular energy	Do not require cellular energy
Substances Transported	All ions, cells, and large molecules such as proteins, lipids, and complex sugars	Soluble molecules such as oxygen, water, carbon dioxide, lipids, sex hormones, and monosaccharides
Effect of Oxygen	Slows down when the oxygen content is reduced	Not affected by the level of oxygen content
Influence of Metabolic Inhibitors	Can be stopped by metabolic inhibitors	Not influenced by metabolic inhibitors
Types	Sodium-potassium pump, exocytosis, and endocytosis	Osmosis, diffusion, and filtration
Importance in Cell	To transport substances against their concentration gradient	To maintain the equilibrium, within and outside the cell

Similarities between Active and Passive Transport