Lesson 2: Body surface exchange

Single-celled organisms can exchange gases through their cell membrane by means of diffusion.

  • The rate of gas exchange is increased when there is a larger surface-area/volume ratio.
  • Adaptations to single-cell organisms can increase their surface-area/volume ratio
    • an example is cristae on mitochondria, these are folds on the membrane.
    • some cells are flat, or squamous to increase surface area.