Why can't single cells grow very large? Why are large organisms like human beings multi-cellular? [3 MARKS]

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Solution

Explanation : 3 Marks
Explanation : 0.5 Mark each

Cells are the fundamental unit of life

All metabolic activities necessary for life takes place inside the cell.

All raw materials required for these metabolic activities enter through the cell surface via cell membrane.

Greater the surface area, larger the amount of raw material that can enter (this is a typical case of unicellular micro-organisms)

As the size of cell grows larger, the Surface Area to Volume (SA/V) ratio decreases, which means that the raw material required for the cell to survive will not be sufficient.

Thus, SA/V ratio limits the size of the cell.

Hence large organisms like human beings need to be multicellular.

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