Energy efficiency of different mechanistic models for potassium ion uptake in lower eukaryotic cells.

Different mechanistic models for potassium ion uptake are analyzed by an equilibrium-thermodynamic formalism in terms of their comparative efficiency in setting chemical potential differences of the potassium ion of different magnitudes across the plasma membrane of lower eukaryotic cells. The possible adaptive advantages for a multimode mechanism(s) operating in alternative modes depending on the physiological and/or environmental conditions of the cells are discussed.