Concentration gradient and active and passive transport

Question

What is the relationship between concentration gradient and active and passive transport?

Answer 1

Passive transport is the movement of substances across membranes in favor of their concentration gradient, that is, from a more concentrated region to a less concentrated region. Active transport, on the other side, is transportation of substances across membranes against their concentration gradient, since a less concentrated to more concentrated region. In the passive transport, as it is spontaneous, there is no energy exhausted; the active transport however requires energy (work) to occur.

Active transport works to uphold or raise the concentration gradient of a substance between two regions while passive transport acts in a manner to reduce the concentration gradient.