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A-Level Biology OCR A

Supply Organisms Increase Cells Large Diffusion Explain Meeting

Increasing organism size necessitates adaptations for supply and demand due to more cells needing resources, potentially higher metabolic rates, increased diffusion distances, and a reduced surface area to volume ratio.

Increasing organism size necessitates adaptations for supply and demand due to more cells needing resources, potentially higher metabolic rates, increased diffusion distances, and a reduced surface area to volume ratio.

Front Explain why supply meeting demand requires adaptations as organisms incerase in size.
Back As organisms increase in size:
  • They are made up of more cells that all require constant and large supply of O and removal of a lot of CO2
  • Their metabolic rate is usually higher meaning more respiration needs to occur 
  • Diffusion distances will increase - not possible to supply cells deeper inside the organism through just the surface
  • Smaller SA:V ratio - slow diffusion and gases cant be exchanged fast enough or in large amounts

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