Biology 2601A/B Lecture Notes - Lecture 9: Cell Membrane, Mass Diffusivity, Partial Pressure
6 Dec 2016
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8aerobic metabolism is dependent on the exchange of oxygen. Diffusion alone is way too slow to maintain the rates of gas exchange needed to support the metabolism of larger organisms. Diffusion wouldn"t be too hard for the rotifer. Blue whale has a small surface area relative to volume. The sponges -> the water that flows thru the sponge, exchanges oxygen with the sponges. The diffusion takes it to the individual cell level. Getting o2 out of the external medium and into the cells. Air breathers have access to a lot of oxygen. And water breathers need to do something with the water to get their oxygen. The total pressure of a gaseous mixture is equal to the sum of all the partial pressures. All gases exert the same amount of pressure on a molecular basis. The partial pressure is the amount of pressure that a particular gas exerts.
