Final answer:
Absorption is the process by which one material enters the cell structure of another and is retained within, involving mechanisms like active transport and endocytosis, as well as osmosis for water regulation in cells.
Step-by-step explanation:
The spill control and confinement tactic where one material enters the cell structure of another and is retained within is known as absorption. This process is different from adsorption, where a substance merely attaches to the surface of another material, or from dissolution, where a material dissolves in a solvent. Absorption can involve multiple mechanisms such as active transport or endocytosis, which are cellular processes that move substances across the plasma membrane. For example, water absorption by cells is often regulated through osmosis, which maintains cellular integrity against external solute concentration changes.
Absorption can occur through five mechanisms: active transport, passive diffusion, facilitated diffusion, co-transport, and endocytosis. Endocytosis is a transportation process in which the cell membrane engulfs material, retaining it within the cell.
For example, in phagocytosis, solid materials are engulfed by the plasma membrane to form a phagocytic vesicle. In pinocytosis, liquid materials are taken in by the folding of the plasma membrane, encircled within a pinocytic vesicle.