3.3 Organisms exchange substances Flashcards
Define surface area
total area over which substances and heat are exchanged
What two factors affect rate of exchange?
- size
- metabolic rate
What four factors influence the rate of exchange?
- temperature
- thickness (exchange distance)
- surface area
- concentration gradient
- number of protein carriers/channel proteins
What are the four main substances that organisms need to transfer?
- gases - oxygen, carbon dioxide
- nutrients - glucose, amino acids
- excretory products - urea, carbon dioxide
- heat
What effect does an increase in size have on the need for a specialist exchange surface in larger animals?
- as size increases, the increase in volume is disproportionate to the increase in surface area
- and demands for nutrient and waste removal increase
- so surface area isn’t large enough to satisfy the extra demands
- so specialised exchange surfaces are needed
What two adaptations do multicellular organisms have to carry out exchange?
- give examples
- transport systems - circulatory, respiratory
- specialialised exchange surfaces - alveoli, tracheoles, gill filaments
What is the relationship between SA:V and size of an organism?
as size INCREASES, SA:V DECREASES
What is the relationship between SA:V and metabolic rate?
- smaller animals have a larger SA:V
- so they lose more heat
- so have a **higher metabolic rate **
- to maintain body temp
What is the relationship between shape of an organism and heat exchange?
example?
- more compact shape
- means a **smaller SA:V **
- minimising hear loss
the arctic fox has small ears and a round head, while african fox has large ears and a pointed nose
Why is it important that oxygen and carbon dioxide can be exchanged effectively?
- Oxygen - needed for the production of ATP in aerobic respiration
- Carbon dioxide - produced in aerobic respiration, needs to be removed as it is toxic and build up can change cell pH
What are the four main features of an effective exchange surface?
- why are these needed?
- thin - short diffusion distance
- large SA:V - sufficient exchange surface
- movement of internal/environmental mediums - maintains concentration gradient
- selectively permeable
How do single celled organisms exchange gas?
- via diffusion
- due to their large surface area to volume ratio
- and short diffusion pathway
Explain why single celled organisms do not require a circulatory system to maintain their metabolism?
- large surface area to volume ratio
- short diffusion pathway
- so rate of diffusion is high
- diffusion is sufficient to allow oxygen deep enough into the area required for respiration
- removal of carbon dioxide is rapid enough to prevent toxicity
What features do insects have to prevent water loss?
- waterproof cuticle covering a rigid exoskeleton
- spiricles can open/close
- spiracle hairs trap water molecules and reduce the water potential gradient
What are the main components of an insect tracheal system?
- spiracle - has a valve so gases can enter and leave
- trachea - windpipe of the insect, lined with chitin to prevent collapse
- tracheoles - extent through all tissues to deliver oxygen
What are the three ways insects use to move gases into the tracheal system?
- mass transport - abdominal muscles contract and relax to push air in and out
- diffusion gradient - oxygen is used up in respiration so concentration decreases, causes oxygen to diffuse from the atmosphere into the trachea
- water movement
Describe and explain what happens to the water in the tracheoles when an insect is flying?
- muscle cells respire anaerobically which produced lactate
- lactate is soluble to lowers the water potential in muscle cells
- water (from the tracheoles) moves into the cells via osmosis
Why does the movement of water into muscle cells increase the rate of diffusion of oxygen from the tracheoles into the muscle tissue
- decreases the volume of water in the tracheoles
- which draws air into the trachea
3.** gaseous diffusion pathway is faster** so rate of diffusion increases
How does the presence of spiracle hairs help to reduce the rate of water loss from the opening?
- they trap water molecules around the opening
- maintaining a higher concentration of water
- reducing the water potential gradient between the inside of the trachea and the environment
- reducing the rate of diffusion
Explain how abdominal pumping moves gases into the tracheal system of a locust?
- increases the volume
- which decreases the pressure
- causing air to be drawn in
What adaptations does the tracheal system have for efficient diffusion?
- lots of fine tracheoles increase surface area
- thin tracheole wall creates a short diffusion pathway
- movement of oxygen and carbon dioxide in and out maintains a steep concentration gradient
Describe what happens to the concentration of oxygen in the trachea when the spiracles are closed?
- oxygen concentration decreases
- as the remaining oxygen in the tracheoles is being used in aerobic respiration
- for production of ATP
What causes the spiracles to open?
- spiracles detect a high concenration of carbon dioxide in the tracheoles
- carbon dioxide is toxic
- so spiracles open to release it
What would happen to the ventilation rate in a locust if the carbon dioxide concentration was increased?
- it would increase
- as there is a reduced oxygen concentration
- oxygen is needed for aerobic respiration - production of ATP
- so **ventilation rate increased to increase rate of diffusion of oxygen
What is the function of the paliside mesophyll?
contains chloroplasts for photosynthesis
What is the function of the spongy mesophyll?
contains large spaces which increase the surface area (so more mesophyll cells are in contact with gases) and create a short diffusion distance
- for rapid diffusion
Describe the mechanism of diffusion in a leaf
- if enough water is present, guard cell becomes turgid - stoma opens and air can enter
- air spaces allow carbon dioxide to diffuse into the cells
- carbon dioxide is used up in photosynthesis which maintains the concentration gradient
- ventilation is passive as the stomata and thinness of the leaf provides a short diffusion pathway
How does the net movement of oxygen and carbon dioxide change during the day vs the night?
Day - Net carbon dioxide IN and net oxygen OUT
Night - net carbon dioxide OUT and net oxygen IN
What causes the stomata to close?
- if the guard cells lose water and become flaccid
- they are less rigid and move together, closing the stomata
What is the compensation point and when does this occur in plants?
no net gas exchange, occurs at dawn and dusk
What adaptations do normal plants have for rapid diffusion?
- many stomata - short diffusion pathway (no cell is far from the stoma)
- air spaces in the mesophyll - gases are in contact with mesophyll cells (diffusion occurs in the gas phase which is faster than in water)
- mesophyll cells - have a large surface area
What adaptations do insects have to prevent water loss?
How does the insect maintain a high level of gas exchange despite these features?
- small surface area to volume ratio - minimises area over which water can be lost
- rigid outer skeleton with a waterproof cuticle - prevents water loss
- spiracles can close
- tracheae carry air oxygen directly to the tissues
What adaptations do terrestrial plants have to reduce water loss while also exchanging gases?
- waxy cuticle - waterproof to prevent evaporation from leaf surface
- many stomata - increases area for gas exchange but can also close to prevent excess water loss
What adaptations do XEROPHYTES have to live in areas where water is in short supply?
1. Thick cuticle - less water escapes
2. Rolling leaves - traps air, becomes saturated with water vapour,** lower water potential gradient** (between inside and outside of leaf) so less water loss
- also** protects the stomata from wind which increases rate of transpiration
3. Hairy leaves **- trap moist air around the stomata to lower the water potential gradient
4. Stomata in pits - traps still, moist air
5. Small, circular leaves - reduces surface area