The maximum size to which a cell may grow is limited mainly by the cell's?
"With the increase in cell size the ratio between surface area and volume decreases. A large cell will therefore have less surface area compared to the volume to cope with the demands of the cell as far as the exchange of materials between the extracellular environment and the cytoplasm is concerned.On the other hand a smaller cell will have large surface area to adequately meet the demands of the volume of the cytoplasm.The cell volume depends upon r to the power 3 and the cell surface depends upon r(radius) to the power 2. This becomes the limiting factor for the growth of the cell."
YaHOO answers.
The maximum size to which a cell may grow is limited mainly by the cell's surface area to volume ratio.
To understand why this ratio limits cell size, let's break it down. The surface area of a cell is the area of its outer membrane, which is responsible for exchanging nutrients, gases, and waste with its surroundings. The volume of a cell refers to the space it occupies internally, which contains the organelles and other cellular components.
As a cell grows, both its surface area and volume increase. However, the surface area increases more slowly compared to the volume. This is because surface area grows with the square of the radius (or diameter), while volume grows with the cube of the radius (or diameter).
The importance of maintaining a high surface area to volume ratio becomes evident when considering the cell's need for efficient exchange of nutrients and waste products. If a cell increases in size without a corresponding increase in surface area, the volume will outpace the surface area, resulting in decreased nutrient exchange and increased difficulty removing waste products. As a result, the cell may not be able to support its metabolic activities and may become less efficient.
Therefore, the surface area to volume ratio ultimately limits the maximum size to which a cell can grow. Once a cell reaches a certain size, it becomes less efficient in its nutrient exchange and waste removal, and additional growth becomes unsustainable.