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Patterns in Nature
Topic 14: Gaseous Exchange in Animals
Part of the Patterns in Nature Module
Biology in Focus, Preliminary Course
Glenda Childrawi and Stephanie Hollis
DOT Point(s)
 Identify and compare the gaseous exchange surfaces in an
insect, a fish, a frog and a mammal.
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Respiratory Surfaces
Animals have high energy demands because they actively move
to search for food and escape predators. As a result they need a
large amount of oxygen and they release a large amount of
carbon dioxide.
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Since their body surface are to volume ratio is not large enough to meet
their high demand for gaseous exchange, specialised respiratory systems
have evolved.
Respiratory Surfaces
Respiratory surfaces are body surfaces that are in contact with
the external environment and have become specialised for
gaseous exchange.
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The types of respiratory organs vary from one type of organism to
another, but to ensure efficient exchange of gasses by diffusion, all
gaseous exchange surfaces share certain common features.
Respiratory Surfaces
Large surface Area:
 An increased surface for gaseous exchange allows a faster rate
of diffusion to supply oxygen and remove carbon dioxide. It
is also necessary to compensate for the small surface are to
volume ratio of the animals body.
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Respiratory Surfaces
The surface area of respiratory organs may be increased by
folding (lungs and gills), branching (tracheoles in insects) or
flattening (flat shape of cells lining air sacs in lungs) of tissues at
the surface of exchange.
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Respiratory Surfaces
A moist, thin surface:
 Creates the best possible
conditions for efficient diffusion.
Moisture ensures that oxygen and
carbon dioxide are able to be
dissolved for easy diffusion across
membranes of cells and the thin
nature of the surface reduces the
distance that gases need to travel.
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Respiratory Surfaces
Near to an efficient
transport system:
 Allows gases to be carried to
the cells where they are needed
or from the cells where they
have been produced.
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Mammals: The Human Respiratory System
Gaseous exchange in mammals takes place in millions of alveoli
(air sacs) in the lungs. These alveoli form the boundary
between air (external environment) and the blood capillaries in the
body (internal environment).
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Mammals: The Human Respiratory System
The lungs have all the typical features of an efficient gaseous
exchange surface we just discussed.
Increased Surface Area: An adult human has about 300
million alveoli, supplied by 280 million capillaries.
athosdumidi.com
If we were able to flatten the alveoli of the lungs out completely they
would cover the surface area of a tennis court!
Mammals: The Human Respiratory System
Thin: Alveoli have an extremely thin lining made up of a single
layer of flattened cells called squamous epithelium. This
facilitates diffusion as the thin layer reduces the distance that
gases must travel to enter the body.
neil-mcleod.webs.com
Mammals: The Human Respiratory System
Moist: the epithelial cells lining the respiratory tubules secrete
mucus and moisten the air entering the lungs. The moisture
ensures that the oxygen and carbon dioxide that diffuse across
the gaseous exchange surface are in a dissolved form.
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Mammals: The Human Respiratory System
Well supplied with blood: numerous blood capillaries
closely surround the outside of each alveoli.
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Capillary walls are also only one cell thick, keeping to a minimum the
distance that gases need to travel between the respiratory surface and the
bloodstream.
Mammals: The Human Respiratory System
Movement of gases is by diffusion along a concentration
gradient. Inhaled air contains approximately 20% oxygen and
0.04% carbon dioxide. Exhaled air contains approximately
15% oxygen and 4% carbon dioxide.
emc.maricopa.edu
Mammals: The Human Respiratory System
Oxygen in the incoming air is in a higher concentration than
that in the bloodstream, so oxygen diffuses from the air sacs
into the body.
woisd.net
Mammals: The Human Respiratory System
Carbon dioxide is in a higher concentration in the bloodstream
so it also diffuses along a concentration gradient from the
capillaries, through the alveolar lining and into the alveolar air
where it will be breathed out.
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Fish: Respiratory System
The respiratory organs of fish are internal gills which are
adapted to use oxygen dissolved in water. Water has a much
lower oxygen content than air (4-6% vs air which is about
20%)
rbssanimalsystems3.wikispaces.com
Fish: Respiratory System
Water moves through the respiratory system in only one
direction. As the fish swims, it opens its mouth so that water
enters and flows over the gills and then it lifts its opercula (gill
coverings) to let water out.
todayifoundout.com
Fish: Respiratory System
Gills also have all the typical features of an efficient gaseous
exchange surface.
Increased surface area: each gill has two rows of very
delicate gill filaments, subdivided to increase the surface area.
As water flows over the gills, gaseous exchange takes place.
Well supplied with blood: the gill filaments appear pink or
red in colour, due to the presence of a rich supply of blood
capillaries.
Thin surface: Each filament is covered by an extremely thin
layer of cells so that gases can entre and leave easily.
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Fish: Respiratory System
As water flows over the gills, oxygen diffuses across the
filaments into the blood capillaries and carbon dioxide diffuses
out.
examstutor.com
Frogs: Respiratory System
Frogs are partly aquatic (tadpole stages live in water) and partly
terrestrial (most adults live on land and are air breathing).
These changes of habitat present a challenge to the respiratory
system.
aecos.com
Frogs: Respiratory System
Tadpoles use their thin, moist skin and gills for respiration. The
surface area to volume ratio of tadpoles is large so they can rely
on diffusion to adequately meet their oxygen needs.
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Frogs: Respiratory System
Adult frogs use three surfaces for gaseous exchange:
1. The skin is the main site for respiration. Its very well
supplied with blood vessels.
2. The floor of the mouth is large and well supplied with
blood capillaries
3. Lungs, used only when they are physically active.
wix.com
All three respiratory surfaces are kept moist, are thin and are well
supplied with blood vessels.
Insects: Respiratory System
Insects have an internal respiratory surface. They take in and
expel air through breathing pores called spiracles. Insects are
very active and many require large quantities of energy and
oxygen so they need an efficient respiratory system.
tutorvista.com
Insects: Respiratory System
Insects differ from terrestrial vertebrates in that they do not
have lungs or blood capillaries. Instead they have a system of
branching air tubes called tracheal tubes which carry air
directly to the cells of the body.
cartage.org.lb
Blood is not involved in the transport of gases.
Insects: Respiratory System
Air enters the insect body through
a row of small breathing pores or
spiracles on each side of the
abdomen. Each spiracle has a
valve which regulates its opening
and closing. Air that enters is
drawn into tracheae and carried
directly to and from the cells of
the body.
Tracheae are branched extensively to
increase surface area for gaseous
exchange
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Insects: Respiratory System
The ends of the tracheae are filled with a watery fluid in which
the gases dissolve. Oxygen from the air dissolved in this fluid
diffuses directly into the cells and carbon dioxide diffuses
directly out of the cells.
thedragonflywoman.com
Muscular movements of the thorax and abdomen during movement helps
ventilate the tracheal system.
Homework
-Students to complete ‘Gaseous Exchange Surfaces’ (Teacher
Resource CD)
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