How does diffusion limit size in cells?

a. Once a cell attains a particular size, the transport proteins in the cell membrane stop functioning and diffusion fails.
b. The size of the cell dictates the size of lipids in the membrane. If the lipids become too large, diffusion becomes slower and the cells can starve.
c. As cells increase in size, the surface-to-volume ratio decreases and diffusion becomes too inefficient to provide nutrients and waste disposal from the cell.
d. Cells that are of a particular size, or greater, enter a state of torpor and growth slows until the cell shrinks again.


c. As cells increase in size, the surface-to-volume ratio decreases and diffusion becomes too inefficient to provide nutrients and waste disposal from the cell.

Biology & Microbiology

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