Why Does the Size of a Cell Matter?

Yesterday, I was going through my cycle like I normally do when I was diffused into this minuscule cell. It was probably half the size of most cells I have seen. However, as I was moving through it, I realized something. It was much easier to move through this cell! That's when it hit me.The smaller the cell is the easier it must be to move through it. The cell itself also consumed less energy when it had to actively transport other molecules. Just to test my theory, I looked for a cell that was larger than normal. It turns out I was right! The large cell was much harder to move through and I was exhausted by the time I got out of it.

How Do I Pass Through the Cell Membrane?

In my previous post, I mentioned that I pass through the cell membrane by the process of diffusion. You might be wondering what that is so I am going to explain exactly how oxygen molecules such as myself pass through the cell membrane.When I am entering an animal cell, I am in the form of an oxygen molecule so I go through a process called diffusion. Diffusion is a type of passive transport which means that no energy is expended. In order for me to get into a cell through the process of diffusion, there have to be more oxygen molecules outside the cell than inside.If this is true then I simply pass through the membrane. Unlike with some other molecules, I am non polar which allows me to pass through the membrane. When I enter a plant cell, I am in the form of a water molecule so I go through a process called Osmosis. This process is very similar to diffusion but it is only for water molecules.

Which Organelles Do I Enter?

The first and most important organelle that I have to pass through is the Cell Membrane or in the case of plants, the Cell Wall. The way that I do this is quite simple. Since I am an oxygen molecule, I can pass through the cell using the process of diffusion. The second organelle is the chloroplast. This is where I am created. When I enter the chloroplast, I go through photosynthesis. I then enter an animal cell and go into the mitochondria. In here, I go through cellular respiration.

The Processes I Go Through

Hey there! I'm an oxygen molecule and today I am going to tell you about how I was created and how I go through cellular respiration. I was made by a tree in this process called photosynthesis. The short version is that this tree took in a bunch of carbon dioxide, water, and light energy from the sun. Using this energy and those molecules, it made glucose and I was created as a leftover waste product. After that, the tree threw me out and I floated through the air for a while. Eventually, some human breathed me in. Once he did that, I went through this other process called cellular respiration. I didn't have to do much in this process. I just waited around until eventually I got combined with some electrons and hydrogen ions. I then became a water molecule. As a water molecule, I went through photosynthesis again and the whole thing started again. The diagram below shows the cycle that I am constantly going through.