Aspects of Marine Animal Physiology Flashcards
Aerobic respiration
process by which almost all living organisms obtain the energy they need by the Oxidation of organic molecules (glucose)
What does respiration convert?
respiration converts chemical energy of glucose into a form which can be used by organisms called ATP
When is ATP created?
created during respiration from the breakdown of glucose using oxygen
What is anaerobic respiration?
Cells that can respire in the absence of oxygen
What does anaerobic respiration make?
makes either alcohol (in plants and yeast) or lactic acid (in animals)
What do organisms need to exchange?
materials with their environment at the surface of their bodies
What materials can organisms exchange?
- respiratory gases (O2 and CO2)
- nutrients
- excretory products (waste substances produced as result of metabolism)
What is the issue with the requirement related to volume?
Requirements are related to volume of organism however the diffusion rate is proportional to surface area
What happens in small and simple organisms?
exchange takes place across entire body surface and nutrients can reach the center of their body by diffusion
What do large and complex organisms require?
- a specialized exchange surfaces such as lungs or gills (adapted for the exchange of materials)
- a transport systems to carry nutrients to cells further from the surface
What happens as the size of an organism increases?
surface area decreases in relation to its volume
What do small organisms have?
a relatively large surface area in relation to their volume
What is the surface area to volume ratio?
An index which gives a relative measure of both surface area and volume
Equation for surface area to volume ratio?
surface are: volume = surface are/volume
Why arn’t cells big?
organisms need to exchange substances with their surroundings.
These substances must diffuse between the organism and the surroundings
