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.
hvbackyard.blogspot.c
om

en.wikipedia.org

en.wikipedia.org

oceanwideimages.com

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.

examiner.com

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.

emc.maricopa.edu

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.

physicsforums.com

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.

psmicrographs.co.uk

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.

elp.manchester.ac.uk

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.

elp.manchester.ac.uk

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).

teachpe.com

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.

daviddarling.info

Mammals: The Human Respiratory

System
Well supplied with blood: numerous blood
capillaries closely surround the outside of each
alveoli.

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om

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.wikispac
es.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
nhptv.org
extremely thin layer of cells so that gases can
entre and leave easily.

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.

breatheornot.wordpres
s.com

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

people.usd.edu

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.co
m

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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