AP Biology Cell Size
in multicellular organisms, cells need to be large because of the functions they perform. what shape would be most desirable for these larger cells?
a long, cylindrical shape
what geometric shape of cells would allow a balance of function and materials movement of importing large quantities of materials for transfer to other cells?
any of the small, symmetrical shapes for maximum surface area-to-volume ratio
is bigger always better for a cell?
bigger is not always better. a large surface area is better or transporting molecules across the cell membrane, but a small volume is better in terms of efficiency of transporting molecules throughout the cell
what shape has a more desirable surface area-to-volume ratio, a cube, sphere, or cylinder?
cylinder has a large surface area-to-volume ratio
is it more desirable for a cell to have a small surface area-to-volume ratio or a large surface area-to-volume ratio?
it is best for a cell to have a large surface area and a small volume. therefore, a large surface area-to-volume ratio is more desirable.
what geometric shape of cells would allow a balance of function and materials movement of stretching?
long, thin cylinders (large surface area with a small diameter) *muscle cells
what geometric shape of cells would allow a balance of function and materials movement of a long-distance communication?
long, thin cylinders (large surface area with a small diameter) *nerve cells
why would a cell need more mitochondria for proper functioning of the cell?
since the cell is large, it will need more ATP to run cell processes
what geometric shape of cells would allow a balance of function and materials movement of covering and protecting?
spherical, for maximum volume *vacuoles, vesicles
what is the change in the surface area of a cube when the length of the side doubles?
surface area is 4x larger
as the mitochondria metabolizes the glucose, they produce carbon dioxide waste. would the carbon dioxide molecules be able to leave the cell faster if the cell had a smaller volume or larger volume?
the carbon dioxide would be able to leave the cell with a smaller volume faster because there is less distance to travel
what a glucose molecule be able to reach the mitochondria faster if the cell had a smaller volume or larger volume?
the transport of a molecule from the cell membrane to the mitochondria would be faster in a cell with a smaller volume because there would be less distance to travel
among unicellular eukaryotes, cell sizes differ greatly. amoeba and paramecium organisms are animal-like protists that are heterotrophic, have no cell wall, and are several times larger than most human cells. what might be some reasons why these unicellular organisms have larger cells than cell with similar traits (heterotrophic, lacking cell wall) that are found in multicellular organisms?
these unicellular organisms are not specialized, but have to carry out all survival functions- obtaining food, reproducing, movement, etc.
what a shape gets larger, which increase at a faster rate, surface area or volume?
volume increases at a faster rate
what is the change in the volume of the cube when the length of the side doubles?
volume is 8x larger
what would be a consequence for a cell if the cell membrane was not large enough to have adequate channels for bringing nutrients and removing waste?
would not be able to maintain homeostasis or carry out its function, would starve without nutrients, would be unable to produce ATP's without oxygen, unable to make proteins without amino acids, would be poisoned by waste build up
