In cold environments, organisms may need to adapt their cell membranes to maintain proper fluidity.
A. True. The presence of unsaturated phospholipids, with double bonds in the fatty acid tails, increases membrane fluidity. In cold environments, having a higher percentage of unsaturated phospholipids helps maintain fluidity.
C. True. Increasing the percentage of unsaturated phospholipids would indeed help maintain membrane fluidity in cold environments.
B. False. A lower percentage of unsaturated phospholipids would make the membrane more rigid, which is not suitable for organisms in extreme cold environments.
Which of the following statements regarding the cell membranes of animals living in extreme cold environments are true? Select all that apply.
A. The cell membranes of animals in extreme cold environments have a higher percentage of unsaturated phospholipids compared to animals in less cold environments.
B. The cell membranes of animals in extreme cold environments have a lower percentage of unsaturated phospholipids compared to animals in less cold environments.
C. The cell membranes of animals in extreme cold environments maintain their fluidity by increasing the percentage of unsaturated phospholipids.
D. The cell membranes of animals in extreme cold environments maintain their fluidity by decreasing the percentage of unsaturated phospholipids.
E. The fluidity of cell membranes is not affected by the percentage of unsaturated phospholipids in animals living in extreme cold environments.