Properties of Gas Exchange Surfaces (Edexcel A Level Biology (A) SNAB): Revision Note

Properties of Gas Exchange Surfaces

• All organisms need to exchange gases with their environment, e.g.

  • Aerobic respiration requires oxygen and produces carbon dioxide as a waste product

  • Photosynthesis requires carbon dioxide and produces oxygen as a waste product

• The process of gas exchange occurs by diffusion

• The surface over which this gas exchange takes place is known as an exchange surface; exchange surfaces have specific properties that enable efficient exchange to take place

Surface area to volume ratio

• The surface area of an organism refers to the total area of the organism that is exposed to the external environment

• The volume refers to the total internal volume of the organism, or total amount of space inside the organism

• The surface area of an organism in relation to its volume is referred to as an organism's surface area : volume ratio (SA:V ratio)

• As the overall size of the organism increases, the surface area becomes smaller in comparison to the organism's volume, and the organism's surface area: volume ratio decreases

  • This is because volume increases much more rapidly than surface area as size increases

• Single-celled organisms have a high SA:V ratio which allows the exchange of substances to occur by simple diffusion

  • The large surface area allows for maximum absorption of nutrients and gases and removal of waste products

  • The small volume within the cell means the diffusion distance to all organelles is short

• As organisms increase in size their SA:V ratio decreases

  • There is less surface area for the absorption of nutrients and gases and removal of waste products in relation to the volume, and therefore requirements, of the organism

  • The greater volume results in a longer diffusion distance to the cells and tissues of the organism

• Large multicellular organisms have evolved adaptations to facilitate the exchange of substances with their environment

  • The gas exchange systems of multicellular organisms are adapted to increase the surface area available for the exchange of gases e.g.

    • Alveoli increase the surface area of mammalian lungs

    • Fish gills have structures called lamellae which provide a very large surface area

    • Leaves have a spongy mesophyll layer within which a large area of leaf cell surface is exposed to the air

• Note that the problem of internal diffusion distance is a separate, though connected, issue solved by the presence of a mass transport system such as a circulatory system

Diffusion pathway

• The diffusion pathway, or distance, across an exchange surface is very short

• The surface often contains only one layer of epithelial cells

  • The cells can also be flattened in shape to further reduce the distance across them

• This means that substances have a very short diffusion pathway

Concentration gradient

• This is the difference in concentration of the exchange substances on either side of the exchange surface, e.g. between the air inside the alveoli and the blood

• A greater difference in concentration means a greater rate of diffusion as the gas molecules move across the exchange surface

• The continued movement of exchange substances away from the exchange surface mean that a concentration gradient is maintained

  • This is achieved by e.g.

    • The alveoli have a good blood supply; this constantly removes oxygen from the capillary side of the exchange surface and supplies carbon dioxide

    • The ventilation system in mammals ensures constant inhalation and exhalation; this supplies oxygen and removes carbon dioxide from the alveoli side of the exchange surface