Final answer:
The surface area to volume ratio of a newly hatched caterpillar is higher than when it is fully grown. As organisms grow, their volume increases faster than their surface area, leading to a decrease in this ratio, which is important for processes like gas exchange and nutrient absorption.
Step-by-step explanation:
The surface area to volume ratio of a newly hatched caterpillar is higher than its surface area to volume ratio when it is fully grown and ready to pupate. This is because as organisms grow, their volume typically increases faster than their surface area. In biology, a high surface area to volume ratio is often significant for processes such as gas exchange and nutrient absorption.
As seen in cells, where a small cell has a higher ratio and is therefore more efficient at exchanging substances with its environment compared to a larger cell with a low ratio.
Furthermore, with an increase in size, the surface area to volume ratio decreases, which affects an organism's ability to explore its environment per unit of organism volume. For example, photosynthetic organisms need a high surface area to effectively absorb light and sustain their energy needs.
To illustrate this with an example provided, a cell that is 1 mm³ in size with a surface area of 6 mm² has a surface area-to-volume ratio of 6 to 1, whereas a cell that is 8 mm³ with a surface area of 24 mm² has a ratio of 3 to 1, demonstrating the decrease in the ratio as the cell size increases.