Why must cells remain small?
To maintain a large surface area-to-volume ration that allows efficient diffusion of nutrients and waste.
As a cell grows larger, does its surface area-to-volume ratio increase or decrease?
It decreases
What adaptation do large eukaryotic cells use to manage internal scale and compartmentalization?
The endomembrane system and folded internal Membranes (mitochondrial cristae, ER cisternae, thylakoid in chloroplasts)
A spherical cell with a radius of 1 um has a surface area-to-volume ratio of 3. If another spherical cell has a radius of 3um, what happens to its ratio, and how does this affect its ability to eliminate waste via diffusion?
The ratio drops to 1. This decreases its efficiency, meaning it takes longer to eliminate waste.