BRAINCAKESpecialised Transport Systems
Large multicellular organisms need a specialised transport system because simple diffusion is not fast enough to meet their metabolic needs.
Oxygen is needed for respiration and carbon dioxide is a waste product and needs to be removed.
The larger the organism, the smaller the surface area to volume ratio.
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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.
- surface area to volume ratio
- The ratio of an organism's outer surface area to its volume; it decreases as size increases, which limits the rate of exchange achievable by diffusion alone.
More in Transport in Animals
- Features of a Transport System
- Types of Circulatory System
- Open Circulatory Systems
- Closed Circulatory Systems
- Single Closed Circulatory Systems
- Double Closed Circulatory Systems
- Blood Vessels
- Arteries
All 22 lessons in Transport in Animals · All OCR AS-level Biology topics