Surface Area: Volume Ratio

Question 1

For efficient gas exchange, the surface area must be … compared to the volume?

Answer 1

Must have a large surface area:volume ratio

Question 2

As an object gets larger what happens to the surface area to volume ratio?

Answer 2

It has a smaller surface area:volume ratio

Question 3

As an object gets smaller what happens to the surface area to volume ratio?

Answer 3

It has a larger surface area:volume ratio

Question 4

How do larger animals compensate for the smaller SA:V ratio?

Answer 4

Specialised systems

Question 5

What is a drawback to a larger surface to volume ratio?

Answer 5

More heat loss

Question 6

How do smaller animal compensate for their heat loss?

Answer 6

Increase their metabolic activity through processes like respiration as one of the byproducts of metabolism is heat, allowing them to maintain a body temperature (respire more frequent)

Question 7

Gas exchange O2 and CO2

Answer 7

O2 required to produce ATP during aerobic respiration where CO2 is produced as a waste product, moving down concentration gradients via simple diffusion

Question 8

Advantage of single celled organisms

Answer 8

Eukaryotic protists like amoebas have a large enough surface area to volume ratio to meet their gas exchange needs by simple diffusion across the membrane, meaning they have absorb diffusion distance