Bio Investigation

Discussion/Conclusion:
4. As a general conclusion, the surface area : volume ratio will decrease as the cell increases in size. 5. The distance penetrated will depend on cube size, for as the size of the cube increases, the surface area : volume ratio decreases, which means that it takes longer for penetration to occur because there is less reactive surface area. Less surface area means that it will take longer for the reaction to penetrate right into the middle of the cube, because there is a greater volume, and less surface area for the solution to react with and penetrate at first. 6. Diffusion is a passive process; it is the movement of molecules or ions from where they are in low concentration, to where they are in a lower concentration, eventually reaching an even distribution. For example, agar jelly cubes placed in NaOH solution. Diffusion occurs when the NaOH solution will diffuse into the agar jelly cubes (this can be seen when the cubes that have diffused with the solution change colour), ie NaOH particles are moving from where they are in high concentration (the solution) to where they are in low concentration, ie the cubes where there is no NaOH solution. The kinetic energy of these particles ensures that they move randomly and so eventually an even distribution of NaOH will be reached (this can take different lengths of time depending on cube size due to surface area : volume ratios). 7. A small cell size is an advantage, because it means a larger surface area : volume ratio, and therefore a faster rate of diffusion. The results of the investigation with agar jelly cubes and a NaOH solution, showed that as the cube size increased the SA:V ratio decreased, which then caused a slower rate of diffusion. Therefore small cells are an advantage because they can diffuse quickly and more efficiently, as added volume will not be impeding cell processes by causing a slow rate of diffusion. For example red blood cells in the body need to diffuse oxygen quickly and efficiently or the body will die due to lack of oxygen, therefore it is important and an advantage that these cells are small, because it means that they are able to diffuse oxygen throughout the body at a faster rate than if they were larger cells.

Extension:
8. In many plant cells, the cytoplasm and the nucleus are near the cell membrane, while the centre of the cell is occupied by an inactive vacuole. This is because the vacuole is inactive, and so does not need constant substances to diffuse through the cell membrane to carry out cell processes, whereas the cytoplasm and the nucleus do need these substances to carry out important cell processes that control and keep the cell alive. Therefore it is more efficient for the nucleus and the cytoplasm to be by the cell membrane, so that substances do not need to be diffused all the way to the centre of the cell, which takes longer and uses more energy. This means that substances are diffused into the nucleus and cytoplasm quickly and more efficiently, meaning that the cell can function better, and so the plants stays healthy and alive. 9. A new cells growth is rapid at first but slows down and finally stops. The growth is fast at the beginning because the SA:V ratio is very small, and so diffusion (which is the process used to get the substances needed for cell processes in and out of the cell), occurs quickly and efficiently, and so cell processes and functions (including growth) are occurring much faster and more efficiently. However growth will stop after a certain size is reached because as the cell size increases, the surface area : volume ratio becomes too great and the cell cannot manufacture enough proteins, get rid of waste, and etc, at the speed needed to carry out the cell processes and functions that keep the cell alive, so the cell stops growing. 10. A lower rate of heat loss in larger animals is due to their lower surface area to volume ratio. Bodies gain and lose heat out of the surface of their body; therefore the smaller the surface area to volume ratio, the easier heat is gained and lost. In reference to Emperor penguins, this means that as the Emperor is larger than the other penguins, it conserves a lot more heat, because it has relatively less surface area to lose heat through in comparison to its

volume. Thus it makes sense that smaller penguins would live closer to the equator, because they cant conserve heat as well as the Emperor penguin, and so wouldnt survive as well in the Antarctic. 11. The smaller mouse has a larger surface area to volume ratio and so has a relatively greater heat loss (because heat is lost through the surface of the body). Since heat is generated in aerobic respiration, this means that the metabolic rate of a mouse must be high to generate the heat needed to replace that loss. This also means that the mouse must use a lot of energy to generate the heat needed to keep it`s body at the correct temperature, because heat is lost a lot more quickly. Thus the mouse eats relatively more to fuel this high heat production in comparison to a cat, who conserves body heat a lot easier, and so doesnt need as much fuel to maintain necessary body temperature.