Chapter 6 - Exchange Flashcards
Name three things that organisms need to exchange with their environment
Oxygen, waste products and heat
What is passive exchange?
No metabolic energy is required
Give two examples of passive exchange
Diffusion and osmosis
What is active exchange?
Metabolic energy is required
Give an example of active exchange
Active transport
Why can substances diffuse directly out of the cells across the cell surface membrane in single-celled organisms?
They have a large SA:V which ensures efficient exchange
Why is diffusion across the cell membrane too slow in multicellular animals?
There is a large distance between cells deep inside the body and the outside environment
Large animals have a small SA:V so the exchange is inefficient
What is mass transport?
The use of an efficient system to carry substances to and from individual cells
What is the exchange system in mammals?
Circulatory system
What is the exchange system in plants?
The xylem and phloem
How are multicellular organisms adapted for efficient exchange?
They have a flat shape for a short diffusion pathway or they have specialised exchange surfaces to increase the SA:V
Why do specialised exchange surfaces normally have a large SA:V?
It increases the rate of exchange
Why are specialised exchange surfaces normally very thin?
The diffusion pathway is short so materials can cross the surface very rapidly
What is Fick’s law?
(Surface area x concentration gradient) / length of diffusion pathway
Why do smaller organisms generally need a higher metabolic rate?
Smaller organisms normally have a larger surface area, which means that much more heat is lost. They must have a higher metabolic rate in order to generate heat and stay warm
Why might an animal living in the Arctic have a round shape?
It has a small surface area which reduces heat loss and helps the animal stay warm
Why might an animal living in the desert have a pointed nose and long ears?
Both of these increase its surface area so it is easier to lose heat and stay cool
Why might animals with a high SA:V have kidney structure adaptations?
They tend to lose more water because of their large surface area so they produce less urine to compensate
Why might small mammals living in cold regions need to eat lots of high energy foods like nuts?
Because of their large surface area, they need fast metabolic rates
Why do elephants have large ears?
This increases their surface area so it is easier to cool down
What do most gas exchange systems have in common?
They have a large surface area and are often just one cell thick
What are tracheae?
An internal network of tubes, supported by strengthened rings
What are tracheoles?
Dead end tubes found on the end of tracheae
How does the insect respiratory system achieve a large surface area?
There are lots of tracheoles which span the whole body
How does the insect respiratory system achieve a small diffusion pathway?
The walls of the tracheoles are 1 cell thick
There is no chitin in the walls of the tracheoles for support
The tracheoles connect to the majority of cells
How does the insect respiratory system achieve the maximum diffusion gradient?
When the cells at the end of tracheoles are respiring, the oxygen is used up and this creates a steep concentration gradient between the outside air and the tracheoles. Respiration also produces carbon dioxide in the cells, which creates a steep concentration gradient in the opposite direction. Because of this, oxygen diffuses into the cells and carbon dioxide diffuses out
What are spiracles?
Tiny pores which cover the insect’s body and can be opened and closed on demand
How does the respiratory system of insects hinder their size?
Because the system relies mostly on the diffusion of gases into and out of the body, the diffusion pathway must be short, so insects must be a small size
Why do insects keep their spiracles closed for most of the time?
To avoid water loss by evaporation
How do insects move air into and out of the spiracles?
Their abdominal muscles can expand to lower the pressure and pull oxygen into the tracheoles, then contract to increase the pressure and force carbon dioxide out of the tracheoles
What happens when anaerobic respiration occurs?
Lactate is produced in the muscle cells around tracheoles, which lowers their water potential. Water, therefore, moves into these cells from the tracheoles by osmosis, lowering the volume of water in the tracheoles. Air gets drawn into the tracheoles because of the lower pressure. This increases the rate at which air is moved into tracheoles because diffusion is faster in a gas phase rather than in a liquid
What is the specialised gas exchange system in fish?
Gills
How do fish gills achieve a high surface area?
They consist of filaments and lamellae (which are at right angles to the filaments)
How do fish gills achieve a small diffusion pathway?
There is a network of blood capillaries, next to the lamellae, which have one cell thick walls
What is countercurrent flow?
The flow of water over the lamellae and the flow of blood inside them are in opposite directions. Therefore, the blood and water never reach equilibrium and oxygen continually diffuses into the blood
If fish didn’t have a countercurrent flow mechanism, what would be the maximum percentage of oxygen removed from the water?
50%, an equilibrium will be reached and no more oxygen will be extracted from the water because there is no concentration gradient
What percentage of oxygen is removed from the water?
80%
How does a countercurrent flow work?
Blood flows over the lamellae in one direction and water flows in the opposite direction. The concentration of oxygen in the blood is always lower than that of the water, so oxygen continually diffuses into the blood and the two never reach equilibrium
What are the two processes that plants conduct?
Photosynthesis and aerobic respiration
Equation for photosynthesis
6CO2 + 6H2O -> C6H12O6 + 6O2
The equation for aerobic respiration
C6H12O6 + 6O2 -> 6CO2 + 6H2O
When photosynthesis isn’t occurring, why is carbon dioxide still produced?
It is produced by aerobic respiration
State two ways in which gas exchange in plants is similar to that in insects
No living cell is far from the external air
Diffusion takes place in the gas phase
How do plants balance the conflicting needs of gas exchange vs water loss?
They have guard cells which can open and close stomata
Why are the stomata mainly at the bottom of the leaf?
Reduces transpiration and evaporation as not in direct sunlight
What is the function of guard cells?
To retain water when it is needed
What is the function of the waxy cuticle?
To stop evaporation from the leaf surface
Why must the cell surface be wet?
To allow the gases to dissolve
How are mesophyll cells adapted in the leaf?
They create big air spaces which increase the surface area available for diffusion
Why can a leaf be a maximum of 10 cells thick?
Must have a short diffusion pathway