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Biology Essay

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Biology
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Los Angeles Pierce College
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Running Head: BIOLOGY 1
Principles of Structures and Function of Animals
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Institution

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BIOLOGY 2
Surface Area and Organ Function
The surface area refers to the area outside/around an object or a cell/organ. The surface
area plays a crucial role in an animal's cell and organs. For instance, the surface area influences
the diffusion of substances, thermoregulation, and absorption of nutrients in organs and cells. In
this case, surface area and volume influence the structure and functioning of all animals. As the
size of a cell or organ increases, the volume is considered to increase faster than the surface area.
In this case, a small organ or cell has a large surface area. The surface area matters since it
relates to the efficiency of the cell or organ and the efficiency is also dependent on its size. For
instance, a larger surface area means that more substances can pass through the cell/organ faster
at a given time.
Example of Structure or Organ with High Surface Area
The small intestine is among the largest organs in the body with a large internal surface
area. Its function is to absorb nutrients from food after it leaves the stomach. Food from the
stomach enters the small intestines through the duodenum, which is the first part of the small
intestines. The middle and last part of the small intestines, jejunum, and ileum carry out nutrient
absorption. The jejunum and ileum's internal walls have wrinkles or folds that increase the small
intestines' surface area. This aims to maximize nutrient absorption into the bloodstream. A
microscopic examination of the folds shows finger-like projections/cells called villi, further
covered with microvilli layers. This increases the surface area for more efficient nutrient
absorption since the villi and microvilli increase the amount of contact between the chime and
the small intestines. The leftovers are moved to the large intestines where water is absorbed,
forming the stool, pushed to the rectum awaiting defecation.
Conformers and Regulators
Conformers are organisms whose body environment is influenced by the conditions of
the external environment. In this case, they do not need to control their internal setting since the
external environment controls it. On the other hand, regulators are organisms that maintain a
constant body environment independent from the external environment through homeostasis.
Osmoconformers and Osmoregulators
Regulators differ from conformers in the sense that they maintain a fixed osmotic
concentration of body fluids. In contrast, the concentration of body fluids in conformers vary
depending on that of the external environment. In this case, Osmoconformers use active or
passive means to match their body's osmolality to that of their environment. Examples of
Osmoconformers include most invertebrates such as echinoderms, insects, worms, crabs,
mussels, scallops, ascidians. Also, vertebrates such as amphibians, reptiles, and some fish are
Osmoconformers.
On the other hand, Osmoregulators maintain a constant level of their body osmolality. In
this case, they can control their salt or fluid concentration without external environment

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Running Head: BIOLOGY 1 Principles of Structures and Function of Animals Name Institution BIOLOGY 2 Surface Area and Organ Function The surface area refers to the area outside/around an object or a cell/organ. The surface area plays a crucial role in an animal's cell and organs. For instance, the surface area influences the diffusion of substances, thermoregulation, and absorption of nutrients in organs and cells. In this case, surface area and volume influence the structure and functioning of all animals. As the size of a cell or organ increases, the volume is considered to increase faster than the surface area. In this case, a small organ or cell has a large surface area. The surface area matters since it relates to the efficiency of the cell or organ and the efficiency is also dependent on its size. For instance, a larger surface area means that more substances can pass through the cell/organ faster at a given time. Example of Structure or Organ with High Surface Area The small intestine is among the largest organs in the body with a large internal surface area. Its function is to absorb nutrients from food after it leaves the stomach. Food from the stomach enters the smal ...
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