AP BIOLOGY

Detailed explanation-1: -As the radius of a cell increases, its surface area increases as the square of its radius, but its volume increases as the cube of its radius (much more rapidly). Therefore, as a cell increases in size, its surface area-to-volume ratio decreases.

Detailed explanation-2: -As cells increase in size, their surface area-to-volume ratio decreases, meaning that their volume is increasing at a faster rate than their surface area.

Detailed explanation-3: -As a cell’s volume increases, the more substances (e.g. oxygen) it needs for cell reactions. When a cell’s surface area increases, the amount of substances diffusing into the cell increases.

Detailed explanation-4: -Seeing that the surface area to volume ratio of cells generally decreases as cells get larger, making the exchange of resources, waster and heat more and more difficult.