Animal Structure & Function

MaSeleka

BL41 Respiration

Key Concepts

1. Of all organisms, multicelled animals require the most energy. The energy
comes mainly from aerobic metabolism, which requires O and produces CO
wastes. In process called respiration, animals move O into their internal
environment and give up CO to the external environment.

2. O diffuses into the body as a result of a pressure gradient. The pressure of

this gas is higher in air than it is in metabolically active tissues, where cells
rapidly use O. CO follows a gradient in the other direction. Its pressure is
higher in tissueswhere it is a byproduct of metabolismthan it is in the air.

3. In most respiratory systems, O and CO diffuse across a respiratory

surface, such the thin, moist epithelium in the human lungs. Blood flowing
through the bodys circulatory system picks up O and gives up CO at this
respiratory surface.

4. Respiratory systems differ in their adaptations for increasing gas exchange

efficiency. They differ also in how they match air flow to blood flow.

Respiration

1. Animal cells rely mainly on aerobic respiration, a metabolic

pathway that provides enough energy for active life-styles. This
pathway requires O and produces CO. The process by which the
animal body as a whole acquires O and disposes of CO is called
respiration.

2. Air is a mixture of O, CO, and other gases, each exerting a

partial pressure. Each gas tends to move from areas of higher to
lower partial pressure. Respiratory systems make use of this
tendency.

3. In all respiratory systems, O and CO diffuse across a

respiratory surfacea moist, thin layer go epithelium. In vertebrates,
airways carry gases to and from one side of the respiratory surface,
and blood vessels carry gases to and from the other side.

4. The airways of the human respiratory system are the nasal cavities,
pharynx, larynx, trachea, bronchi, and bronchioles. Alveoli at the end of the
terminal bronchioles are the main sites of gas exchange.

5. During inhalation, the chest cavity expands, lung pressure falls below
atmospheric pressure, and air flows into the lungs. During normal
exhalation, these events are reversed.

6. Driven by its partial pressure gradient, O in the lungs diffuses from

alveolar air spaces into the lung capillaries. Then it diffuses into red blood
cells and binds weakly with hemoglobin. In tissues where cells are
metabolically active, hemoglobin gives up O, which diffuses out the
capillaries, across interstitial fluid, and into the cells.

7. Driven by its partial pressure gradient, CO diffuses from cells, across

interstitial fluid, and into the bloodstream. Most react with water to form
bicarbonate, but the reactions are reversed in the lungs. There, CO diffuses
from lung capillaries into the air spaces of the alveoli, then is exhaled.

Key terms
alveolus
bronchiole
bronchus
carbonic anhydrase
countercurrent flow
diaphragm
epiglottis
gill
glottis
hemoglobin

integumentary exchange
larynx
lung
myoglobin
oxyhemoglobin
pharynx
respiratory center
respiratory surface
respiratory system
tracheal respiration
vocal cord

Test BT41R

BT41R.1 An O partial pressure gradient exist

between what?

A. air and lungs

B. lungs and metabolically active tissues

C. air at sea level and air at high altitudes

D. all of the above

BT41R.2 Which one is an airway that connects the

nose and mouth with what?

A. oral cavity; larynx

B. pharynx; trachea

C. trachea; pharynx

D. pharynx; larynx

BT41R.3 In human, O in the air must diffuse

across what as it follows its partial pressure
gradient into the internal environment?

A. pleural sacs

B. alveolar sacs

C. a moist respiratory surface

D. B and C

BT41R.4 Each human lung encloses a what?

A. diaphragm

B. bronchial tree

C. pleural sac

D. B and C

BT41R.5 Gas exchange occurs at the what?

A. two bronchi

B. pleural sacs

C. alveolar sacs

D. B and C

BT41R.6 The Heimlich maneuver may help

people:

A. with altitude sickness

B. with the bends

C. choking on food

D. quit smoking

BT41R.7 What does breathing do?

A. ventilates the lungs

B. draws air into airways

C. expels air from airways

D. causes reversals in pressure gradients

E. all of the above

BT41R.8 When you inhale, the diaphragm does

what?

A. curves upward

B. flattens

C. relaxes

D. remains stationary

BT41R.9 After O diffuses into lung capillaries, it

diffuses into what and binds with what?

A. interstitial fluid; red blood cells

B. interstitial fluid; CO

C. red blood cells; hemoglobin

D. red blood cells; CO

BT41R.10 Most CO in blood is in the form of

what?

A. CO

B. CO

C. carbonic acid

D. hydrogen carbonate

BT41R.11 Match the components with their

descriptions:

___ trachea

A. airway leading into a lung

___ pharynx

B. throat

___ alveolus

C. fine bronchial tree branchings

___ hemoglobin

D. windpipe

___ bronchus

E. respiratory pigment

___ bronchiole

F. site of gas exchange

Assignment BA41R

BA41R.1

a. If your grade children ask you what insect lungs

look like, what would your answer be? [6]

b. Describe the features of the respiratory surface

that are common to all respiratory systems. [7]

c. People occasionally poison themselves with CO

by building a charcoal fire in an enclosed area.
Assuming help arrives in time, what would be the
most effective treatment: placing the victim outdoors
in fresh air or administering pure O? Why? [7]

BA41R.2 Distinguish between:

a. aerobic respiration and respiration [5]

b. pharynx and larynx [5]

c. bronchiole and bronchus [5]

d. pleural sac and alveolar sac [5]

BA41R.3

a. Explain why
humans, including
the female in the
photo, cannot
survive on their own
for very long in
underwater
environments. [8]

b. Label the
components of the
human respiratory
system shown and
the structures that
enclose it. [12]

BA41R.4 Some cigarette manufacturers have

conducted public relations campaigns urging their
customers to smoke responsibly.

a. What are some social and biological issues in

this controversy? [6]

b. How do these issues apply to the nonsmoking

spouse, children of a smoker, nonsmoking patrons
in a restaurant, unborn child of a pregnant smoker?
[12]

c. In your opinion, what behavior would constitute

responsible smoking? [2]

Readings

American Cancer Society: Dangers of Smoking; Benefits of Quitting and Relative

Risks of Reduced Exposure, Revised Edition; New York: American Cancer Society

Mortality From Smoking in Developed Countries 19502000, a 1994 publication

by scientists of Britains Imperial Cancer Research Fund, the WHO, and the
American Cancer Research Fund

Starr, C., & Taggart R. (1995): Biology: The Unity and Diversity of Life, 7th Edition;
Belmont: Wadsworth

Vander, A., Sherman, J., & Luciano, D. (1990): Human Physiology: The
Mechanisms of Body Function, 5th Edition; New York: McGraw-Hill

West, J. (1989): Respiratory Physiology: The Essentials, 4th Edition; Baltimore:

Williams & Wilkins

Young, J. Z. (1981): The Life of Vertebrates, 3rd Edition; Oxford: Clarendon Press