3.3.1-3.3.3 exchange Flashcards
(186 cards)
how does an organism’s size relate to their surface area to volume ratio?
the larger the volume, the lower the surface area to volume ratio
what substances do organisms need to exchange with their environment and why?
- cells need to take in oxygen (for aerobic respiration) and nutrients
- need to excrete waste products like carbon dioxide and urea
- need to stay roughly same temp, so heat needs to be exchanged
how might a large organism adapt to compensate for its small SA:V ratio?
- changes that increase SA e.g. folding; body parts become larger e.g. elephants ears; elongating shape; developing specialised gas exchange surface
why do multicellular organisms require specialised gas exchange surfaces as opposed to single-celled organisms?
- their smaller SA:V ratio means its difficult to exchange enough substances to supply a large volume of animal through relatively small outer surface as opposed to a smaller, single-celled organisms
- also, some cells are deep within the body, distance to be crossed by substances is large
give examples of specialised gas exchange surfaces
lungs of mammals/birds
gills of fish
name three features of an efficient gas exchange surface
- large SA e.g. folded membranes in mitochondria or root hair of cells
- thin/short distance e.g. wall of capillaries
- steep concentration gradient, maintained by blood supply/ventilation e.g. alveoli
what are other characteristics allow efficient exchange of materials across specialised gas exchanges?
- selectively permeable membrane to allow selected materials to cross
- movement of environmental medium e.g. air to maintain diffusion gradient
- transport system to ensure movement of internal medium e.g. blood, in order to maintain a diffusion gradient
what is Ficks’s law?
diffusion ∝ (SA x conc gradient)/ diffusion distance
why are specialised exchange surfaces often located WITHIN an organism?
b/c being thin they can easily become damaged or dehydrated
what does rate of heat loss from an organism depend on?
its surface area
- organism with large vol e.g. hippo, has a small SA so its harder to lose heat from its body
why do smaller organisms have a higher metabolic rate?
- smaller organisms have large SA (relative to their volume), so heat is lost more easily
- means they have high metabolic rates to generate enough heat to stay warm
(high metabolic rates mean they need to consume more calories, more calories means more energy so can generate heat)
discuss how organisms with high SA:V ratio adapt to lose less water
- they lose more water as it evaporates from their surface
- so some desert mammals have kidney structure adaptations so they produce less urine to compensate
discuss how some organisms support their high metabolic rates
- small mammals in cold regions need to eat large amounts of high energy foods e.g. seeds and nuts
why do large organisms (e.g. elephants and hippos) in hot regions need to adapt and how do they?
- they find it hard to keep cool b/c their heat loss is relatively slow
- e.g. elephants have developed large flat ears to increase SA, allowing them to lose more heat
- hippos spend much of day in water - a behavioural adaptation to help them lose heat
how do single-celled organisms exchange?
- they absorb and release gases by diffusion through their outer surface
- they tend to be small, have large SA and a short diffusion pathway
what kind of SA:V ratio do fishes have?
- relatively small SA:V ratio
why do fishes need a specialised gas exchange surface?
- small SA:V ratio
- they have an impermeable membrane so gases can’t diffuse through their skin
- also there’s lower conc of oxygen in water than in air, so they need special adaptions to get enough
name and describe the two main features of a fish’s gas transport system
gills: located within body, supported by arches, made up of thin plates called gill filaments (multiple projections stacked up in piles) which increase SA for exchange
lamellae: structures on gill filaments which increase SA. Blood and water flow across them in opposite directions (counter-current exchange system)
A fish uses its gills to absorb oxygen from water. Explain how the gills of a fish are adapted for efficient gas exchange
- Large S.A. due to the lamellae
- thin epithelium = short distance between water and blood
- water and blood flow in opposite directions so maintains C.G. along gill
- circulation replaces blood saturated with oxygen
- ventilation replaces water (o2 is removed)
- lamellae has lots of blood capillaries and thin surface of cells to speed up diffusion
Explain how the counter-current mechanism in fish gills ensures the maximum amount of the oxygen passes into the blood flowing through the gills (3)
- water and blood flow in opposite directions in lamallae (counter-current exchange)
- blood always passes water which has a higher 02 conc.
- so large concentration gradient is maintained across the whole gill
Explain why a vein may be described as an organ (1)
Made up of different tissues
explain the process of gas exchange in fish
- fish opens mouth to enable water to flow in, closes its mouth to increase pressure
- water passes over lamellae, and oxygen diffuses into bloodstream from water (they flow in opposite directions i.e. countercurrent system)
- waste carbon dioxide diffuses into water and flows back out of gills
how does the countercurrent exchange system maximise oxygen absorbed by the fish?
- maintains a steep concentration gradient (equilibrium never reached), as water is always next to blood of a lower oxygen concentration
- so keeps rate of diffusion and enables 80% of available oxygen to be absorbed
in relation to fish gills, describe what is meant by countercurrent flow
movement of water and blood in opposite directions across gill lamellae