Topic 1 - Transport around the Body

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  • Transport around the body
    • Transport in simple organisms
      • One of the main ways molecules move in and out of a cell is by diffusion
      • Diffusion is the movement of molecules down a concentration gradient from an area of high concentration to an area of low concentration
      • For unicellular organisms, such as amoeba, nutrients and oxygen can diffuse directly into the cell and waste substances can diffuse directly out
    • Transport in large organisms
      • Substances have to travel longer distances to reach every cell in the body and they also can't move into the cells fast enough via simple diffusion to sustain life.
        • Therefore, they have evolved specialized systems to get them into and around their bodies
          • In humans, this is the heart and circulatory system and the blood that flows through it
            • This is an example of a mass transport system - when substances are transported in the flow of fluid with a mechanism for moving it around the body
    • Features of mass transport systems
      • They have a system of vessels that carry substances - these are usually tubes that carry it via a specific course
      • They have a way of making sure that substances move the correct way (i.e. nutrients in and waste out)
      • They have a means of moving the substances around the body fast enough to meet the needs of the organism (i.e. the pumping of the heart)

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