Principles of transport and exchange Flashcards
1
Q
What is the surface area?
A
The total number of cells in direct contact with the surrounding environment
2
Q
What is the volume?
A
The total 3D space occupied by metabolically active tissues (more tissue=more metabolites demanded)
3
Q
What happens as an organism size increases?
A
There is more surface area than volume
4
Q
What happens as an organism size decreases?
A
There is more volume than surface area
5
Q
What two primary things can surface area affect?
A
The rate of exchange of materials
rate of supply of metabolites
