CHAPTER 3 - EXCHANGE AND TRANSPORT SYSTEMS Flashcards
- size and surface area - gas exchange - digestion and absorption - haemoglobin - circulatory system - the heart - transport in plants, xylem and phloem
why is an exchange transport system needed
- every organism needs to take in substances and release other substances in order to survive
what affects how quickly the absorbance and release of substances takes place
- size
- surface area = SA
describe the exchange of substances with the environment
- every organism needs to exchange things with its environment
- cells needs to take in oxygen for aerobic respiration and nutrients
- need to excrete waste products like carbon dioxide and urea
- most organisms need to stay at roughly the same temperature, so heat needs to be exchanged
SA:VR relationship
- affects how quickly substances are exchanged
- smaller organisms : higher SA : VR, compared to larger organisms
exchange organs and mass transport systems
- an organism needs to supply every one of its cells with substances like glucose and oxygen for respiration
- it also needs to remove waste products from every cell, to avoid the cell damaging itself
how do single celled organisms exchange and transport substances
- substances can diffuse directly into/out of the cell, across the cell surface membrane
- diffusion rate = quick, because the distance the substance needs to travel = small
how do multi-cellular organisms exchange and transport substances
- diffusion across the outer membrane is too slow BECAUSE :
- some cells are deep within the body and there is a big distance between them and the outside environment
- AND larger animals have a low SA:VR and this means its difficult for there to be enough substances exchanged to supply a large volume of animal, through a relatively small outer surface
instead of using diffusion, how do multi-cellular organisms absorb and excrete substances
- using specialised exchange organs, ex - lungs
- need mass transport systems to carry substances to and from their individual cells
- in mammals, mass transport = the circulatory system which uses blood to carry oxygen and glucose around the body, also carries around hormones, antibodies and waste like CO2
how does mass transport work in plants
- the transport of water and solutes in the xylem and phloem
describe the process of heat exchange
- metabolic activity in the cells creates heat
- staying at the right temp is heavily influenced by size and shape
how does body size affect heat exchange
- rate of heat loss is dependent on SA
- if the organism is small, then its relative SA is large which means it loses heat easily
- smaller organisms need a relatively high metabolic rate so they can generate enough heat to stay warm
how does body shape affect heat exchange
- animals of any size with a COMPACT shape have a SMALL SA relative to V = minimised heat loss from their surface
- animals with a LESS COMPACT shape, ex - have bits that stick out, have a LARGER SA relative to their V = increased heat loss from their surface
how is the arctic dox adapted so it reduces heat loss
- small ears
- round head
- these 2 features reduce its SA : VR and therefore reduces its heat loss
how is the african bat eared fox adapted so it reduces heat loss
- large ears
- more pointed nose
- these 2 features increases its SA:VR and therefore increases its heat loss
how is the european fox adapted so it can match the temp of its environment
- aims to match the temp of its environment
name the behavioural and physiological adaptations to aid exchange for ANIMALS WITH A HIGH SA:VR
- tends to lose more water as it evaporates from their surface
- big problem especially for animals living in hot regions where water evaporates quickly
- some dessert mammals have kidney structure adaptations so that they produce less urine to compensate
name the behavioural and physiological adaptations to support the high metabolic rate of small mammals
- needed to support high metabolic rates
- small mammals living in cold regions need to eat large amounts of high energy foods like seeds and nuts
name the behavioural and physiological adaptations to maintain the internal temperature of small mammals
- may have thick layers of fur OR hibernate when the weather gets really cold
name the behavioural and physiological adaptations to cool down large organisms
- larger organisms which live in hot regions, like elephants and hippos, find it hard to keep cool as their heat loss is relatively slow
- elephants : developed large flat ears which increase their SA - allows them to lose more heat
- hippos : spend much of the day in the water - behavioural adaptation to help them lose heat
why do plants and animals have adaptations to aid gas exchange
- because they are large organisms and gas exchange isn’t easy for them due to them having a LARGE gas exchange surface
how does gas exchange take place
it occurs over a gas exchange surface
what is a gas exchange surface
a boundary between the outside environment and internal environment of an organism
what are the 2 gases that need to diffuse across the gas exchange surface as quickly as possible
- oxygen
- carbon dioxide
what are the 2 things most gas exchange surfaces have in common, which are there to increase the rate of diffusion
- have a large SA
- they are thin = one layer of epithelial cells, this provides a SHORT DIFFUSION PATHWAY across the GE surface