Question

In response to seasonal changes in temperature, many organisms must alter the composition of their plasma membranes to maintain the proper degree of fluidity. As summer turns to fall and eventually into winter, which of the following would you predict you would observe in the plasma membranes of organisms that are unable to regulate their body temperature?A. an increase in phospholipid fatty acid side chain length and an increase in side chain saturationB. a decrease in phospholipid fatty acid side chain length and an increase in side chain saturationC. a decrease in phospholipid fatty acid side chain length and a decrease in side chain saturationD. an increase in phospholipid fatty acid side chain length and a decrease in side chain saturation

Answer 1

C. a decrease in phospholipid fatty acid side chain length and a decrease in side chain saturation

Explanation:

Temperature is a factor that has a huge impact on cell membrane structure, more precisely its fluidity. So, for example, if temperature increases, the cell membrane becomes more fluid because the fatty acid tails of the phospholipids become less rigid.