Why complex life requires more than just simple diffusion
In short: If your body relied solely on passive diffusion to move oxygen, it would take months for air to reach your toes. This video explains how specialized systems evolved to sustain large multicellular organisms.
Large animals cannot survive on simple diffusion because the distance between the environment and internal cells is too great. To overcome this, organisms have developed dedicated exchange surfaces—such as lungs, gills, and roots—to interface with their surroundings.
These surfaces work in tandem with specialized transport systems like the circulatory system in animals or xylem and phloem in plants. Together, they ensure that gases and nutrients reach every cell quickly enough to sustain life.
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- Summary by Intellect · source: Exchange and transport systems in animals | Physiology | Biology | FuseSchool
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