BRAINCAKEThe Need for Specialised Exchange Surfaces
Oxygen, glucose and fatty acids are needed for respiration and carbon dioxide needs to be removed. Exchange can be passive (diffusion, osmosis) or active (active transport, endocytosis, exocytosis).
The rate and amount of substance exchanged depends on the organism's requirements and rate of waste production will depend on the size and metabolic rate of the organism. The exchange surface is therefore adapted to meet the requirements of each organism.
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Key terms in this lesson
- diffusion
- The net movement of molecules or ions from a region of higher concentration to a region of lower concentration, down a concentration gradient.
- active transport
- The movement of molecules or ions across a membrane, often against their concentration gradient, using ATP and carrier proteins.
- osmosis
- The net movement of water molecules from a region of higher water potential to a region of lower water potential through a selectively permeable membrane.
More in Exchange Surfaces and Breathing
- Surface Area to Volume Ratio
- Specialised Exchange Surfaces
- The Human Gas Exchange System
- The Lungs
- Mechanism of Breathing
- Inspiration
- Expiration
- Alveoli
All 24 lessons in Exchange Surfaces and Breathing · All OCR AS-level Biology topics