Final answer:
The cause of limited cell size is the surface area-to-volume ratio. As cells grow larger, their volume increases at a faster rate than their surface area, leading to decreased efficiency. This affects nutrient exchange and cellular processes.
Step-by-step explanation:
A cause of limited cell size is the surface area-to-volume ratio. As cells grow larger, their volume increases at a faster rate than their surface area. This means that the cell's surface area becomes insufficient to support the exchange of nutrients and waste products, leading to the cell becoming inefficient.
For example, let's consider a cell that needs to take in nutrients through its surface and expel waste products. As the cell grows bigger, the volume of the cell increases, but the surface area available to absorb nutrients and eliminate waste remains the same, causing a decline in efficiency.
Another example is the efficiency of cellular processes. Inside the cell, various processes occur that rely on the diffusion of substances across the cell membrane. As the cell enlarges, the distance that these substances need to travel increases, which results in slower diffusion rates and decreased efficiency.
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