Module 8 Flashcards
What increases more slowly than volume as an object gets larger?
Surface area
This concept highlights the geometric relationship between surface area and volume in three-dimensional objects.
What is surface area a measure of?
The total surface of a three-dimensional object.
Surface area is crucial for understanding how objects interact with their environment.
What is volume a measure of?
The total space occupied by a three-dimensional object.
Volume is essential in various scientific calculations, including density and buoyancy.
How is the surface area to volume ratio calculated?
Surface area divided by volume.
This ratio is important in biology and physics for understanding how size affects function.
What happens to the surface area to volume ratio as objects get larger?
It gets smaller.
This principle has implications in cellular biology and the design of organisms.
What structures increase surface area relative to volume in cells?
- Inner membrane folds of mitochondria
- Villi and microvilli of the intestine
These adaptations enhance the efficiency of processes such as nutrient absorption and energy production.
What limits the size of prokaryotes?
Diffusion.
The efficiency of diffusion is a key factor in cell size, particularly for organisms without specialized transport systems.
Define diffusion.
Net movement of molecules from regions of higher concentration to regions of lower concentration due to random motion.
Diffusion is a fundamental process in biology, affecting gas exchange and nutrient uptake.
What is diffusion effective only over?
Short distances
What limits the size of cells and multicellular organisms?
Diffusion
What have cells and organisms evolved to circumvent?
Limits of diffusion
Where do some multicellular organisms have active cells?
Along the periphery close to the source of nutrients and other key molecules
What do some multicellular organisms have that allows for diffusion?
Organs with large surface areas and thin walls
What is bulk flow?
A process in which fluids move by pressure differences at rates much greater than is possible by diffusion
What does bulk flow allow multicellular organisms to do?
Nourish cells located far from the external environment
True or False: Diffusion can effectively transport nutrients over long distances.
False
What is diffusion effective only over?
Short distances
What limits the size of cells and multicellular organisms?
Diffusion
What have cells and organisms evolved to circumvent?
Limits of diffusion
Where do some multicellular organisms have active cells?
Along the periphery close to the source of nutrients and other key molecules
What do some multicellular organisms have that allows for diffusion?
Organs with large surface areas and thin walls
What is bulk flow?
A process in which fluids move by pressure differences at rates much greater than is possible by diffusion
What does bulk flow allow multicellular organisms to do?
Nourish cells located far from the external environment
True or False: Diffusion can effectively transport nutrients over long distances.
False
