Chapter 6 - Exchange Flashcards
name three things that organisms need to exchange with their environment
oxygen, waste products and heat
what is passive exchange
no metabolic energy is required
give two examples of passive exchange
diffusion and osmosis
what is active exchange
metabolic energy is required
give an example of active exchange
active transport
why can substances diffuse directly out of the cell across the cell surface membrane in single celled organisms
they have a large SA:V which ensures efficient exchange
why is diffusion across the cell membrane too slow in multicellular animals
there is a large distance between cell deep inside the body and the outside environment
large animals have a small SA:V so the exchange is inefficient
what is mass transport
the use of an efficient system to carry substances to and from individual cells
what is the exchange system in plants
xylem and phloem
how are multicellular organisms adapted for efficient exchange
they have a flat shape for a short diffusion pathway or they have specialised exchange surfaces to increase the SA:V
why dp specialised exchanged surface normally have a large SA:V
it increases the rate of exchange
why are specialised exchange surfaces normally very thin
the diffusion pathway is short so materials can cross the surface very rapidly
what is Fick’s law
surface area x concentration gradient / length of diffusion pathway
why do smaller organisms generally need a higher metabolic rate
smaller organisms normally have a larger surface area which means that much more heat is lost. they must have a higher metabolic rate in order to generate heat and stay warm
why might an animal living in the Arctic have round shape
it has a small surface area which reduces heat loss and helps the animal stay warm
why might an animal living in the desert have a pointed nose and long ears
both of these increase its surface area so it is easier to lose heat and stay cool
why might animals with a high SA:V have kidney structure adaptations
they tend to lose more water because of their large surface area so they produce less urine to compensate
why might mammals living in cold regions need to eat lots of high energy food like nuts
because of their large surface area they need fast metabolic rates
why do elephants have large ears
this increases their surface area so it is easier to cool down
what do most gas exchange systems have in common
they have a large surface area and are often just one cell thick
what are tracheae
an internal network of tubes supported by strengthened ring
what are tracheoloes
dead end tubes found on the end of tracheae
how does the insect respiratory system achieve a large surface area
there are lots of tracheoles which span the whole body
how does the insect respiratory system achieve a small diffusion pathway
the walls of the tracheoles are 1 cell thick
there is no chitin in the walls of the tracheoles for support they connect to the majority of cells