CELL FORM AND FUNCTION pp. 72-73

Cell shape Cells specialized (i.e. epithelial vs nerve cell) Cell shape related to function of the cell

Cell size Surface area to volume ratio decreases with increasing cell size Volume increases quicker than the surface area

What does this mean for the cell? INCREASES SURFACE AREA The smaller the volume the more surface area to do work Increases amount of membrane available to do work I.E. Chloroplast: more area to absorb sunlight

DECREASES OVERALL SIZE Distance to center increases as cell size increases Difficulty exchanging materials (such as nutrients, oxygen, and waste products) across the cell or in and out of the cell