Consider surface area to volume ratios of large cells versus

Consider surface area to volume ratios of large cells versus small cells. How is it adaptive for cells to remain so small?

Solution

ANS:

If a Cell size increases, then the volume of the cell also highly increased when comparing to its surface area.

A small cell contains large surface area to volume ratio (large surface area relative to a small volume).

Large cells had small surface area to large volume ratio (small surface area relative to a large volume).

The rate of the substance movement is completely depends on cell surface area. So in small cells the movement and diffusion of nutrients and gases are high when compare with large cells.

The heat production of the cell can also depend on the surface area to volume ratio. During the metabolism too small ratio cells can produce over heat and it lost over the cell surface.

Due to these physiological reasons in evolutionary adaptation process, small cells remain small.