[Campbell Biology P.744] A newly discovered deep-sea organism is observed to absorb dissolve... | Practice Question

A newly discovered deep-sea organism is observed to absorb dissolved nutrients directly from the surrounding water. If this organism evolves to a significantly larger size, which adaptation would most likely be observed to ensure continued efficient nutrient absorption?

  • A: Developing a thicker, more protective outer layer.
  • B: Increasing its density to sink faster.
  • C: Forming highly convoluted or branched internal structures.
  • D: Reducing its metabolic rate to decrease nutrient demand.

Explanation

As organisms grow larger, their volume increases proportionally faster than their surface area, making efficient exchange of materials challenging. To overcome this, biological systems often evolve structures that maximize surface area, such as folding, branching, or projections, to maintain an adequate surface area to volume ratio for absorption.