Final answer:
Eukaryotic cells use pinocytosis to ingest liquids from their environment, which is a type of endocytosis and active transport that forms small vesicles within the cell.
Step-by-step explanation:
Eukaryotic cells use a process known as pinocytosis to obtain liquids from their environment. This is a variation of endocytosis, which means “cell drinking,” and involves the cell enveloping extracellular fluid and dissolved molecules, which include water and other substances needed by the cell. Unlike phagocytosis, which engulfs large particles, pinocytosis results in much smaller vesicles and does not generally require the vesicles to merge with a lysosome. Endocytosis is a type of active transport, differing from processes like osmosis or diffusion, which are passive. Endocytosis moves particles into a cell by forming a pocket from the plasma membrane, which then pinches off to create a vacuole within the cell. Specific to pinocytosis, these pockets capture fluids rather than large particles, essentially “drinking” from the cell’s surrounding environment.