Vertebrate Respiratory System

Adopted from: Bongolto, H. 2011

• Respiratory system
-is a system consisting of specific organs and
structures used for the process of respiration
in an organism.
• Respiration
-the act or process of inhaling or exhaling
• General Function
Respiration includes:
- Ventilation is the pumping of water in gills and
of air in lungs
-External Respiration- exchange of gases with
the environment
-Internal Respiration- essential gases are then
exchange with the tissues in the respective
capillary beds
The five main types of Respiratory System :

1. Cutaneous Exchange
2. Gills
3. Lungs
Cutaneous Exchange
 Cutaneous respiration is
the absorption of oxygen, and
disposal of carbon dioxide,
through the skin.
 Gills
 Gills are respiratory organs that
have a thin, vascularized layer of
epidermis over highly vascularized
dermis.
 Types of Gills
External gills are exposed to the environment,
are set on a frill of stalks protruding from the
sides of an animals head.
amphibians

Internal gills are set inside the pharynx and

covered by gill slits
fishes
Mud Salamander Larva
Internal Gills
 Lung Ventilation
 Ventilation is based on
several physiological
principles that apply to all
air-breathing animals with
lung
 Physiological principles
1. Air moves by bulk flow into and out of
the lungs in the process called ventilation
2. Oxygen and carbon dioxide diffuse
across the respiratory surface of the lung
tissue from pulmonary capillaries.
3. At systematic capillaries, oxygen and
carbon dioxide diffuse between the blood and
interstitial fluid in response to concentration
gradients.

4. Oxygen and carbon dioxide diffuse between

the interstitial fluid and body cells.
 Lungs
A lung is an internal sac-shaped
respiratory organ.
Designed for air breathing
Volume expands when air is inhaled
and decreases when air is exhaled
Respiratory Pigments
 Are organic compounds that
either metallic copper or iron that
binds oxygen.

• Hemoglobin
 Is a reddish pigment that contains
iron oxygen-binding metal.
Hemerythrin
 contains iron and is pink when
oxygen is in nucleated cells.

Chlorocruorin
 Also contains iron but is green when
heated with low oxygen concentrations
and bright red when heated with high
oxygen concentrations.
SHARKS’ RESPIRATION

Ante, Bien, Roxas, Nor

 SHARKS’ RESPIRATION

Mouth
 SHARKS’ RESPIRATION

Mouth Gill chambers

 SHARKS’ RESPIRATION

Mouth Gill chambers

 SHARKS’ RESPIRATION

Mouth Gill chambers Gill slits

 SHARKS’ RESPIRATION

Mouth Gill chambers Gill slits

Ram ventilation-
 SHARKS’ RESPIRATION

Mouth Gill chambers Gill slits

Ram ventilation- takes place when water is taken into the mouth and
over the gills as the shark moves forward
 SHARKS’ RESPIRATION

• Blood in the gill filaments absorb oxygen from the water

 SHARKS’ RESPIRATION

• Blood in the gill filaments absorb oxygen from the water

• Five to seven gill arches – each bearing one gill slit; spiracle
 SHARKS’ RESPIRATION

• Blood in the gill filaments absorb oxygen from the water

• Five to seven gill arches – each bearing one gill slit; spiracle
• Gill rakers –perpendicular to gill arches; support secondary bars (direct
water);
 SHARKS’ RESPIRATION

• Blood in the gill filaments absorb oxygen from the water

• Five to seven gill arches – each bearing one gill slit; spiracle
• Gill rakers –perpendicular to gill arches; support secondary bars (direct
water); protect the gill filaments
 SHARKS’ RESPIRATION

• Blood in the gill filaments absorb oxygen from the water

• Five to seven gill arches – each bearing one gill slit; spiracle
• Gill rakers –perpendicular to gill arches; support secondary bars (direct
water); protect the gill filaments
 SHARKS’ RESPIRATION

Heart
 SHARKS’ RESPIRATION

Heart ventral aorta

 SHARKS’ RESPIRATION

Heart ventral aorta branchial arteries (afferent)

 SHARKS’ RESPIRATION

Heart ventral aorta branchial arteries (afferent)

gills
 SHARKS’ RESPIRATION

Heart ventral aorta branchial arteries (afferent)

branchial arteries (efferent) gills

 SHARKS’ RESPIRATION

Heart ventral aorta branchial arteries (afferent)

dorsal aorta branchial arteries (efferent) gills

 SHARKS’ RESPIRATION

Heart ventral aorta branchial arteries (afferent)

Body dorsal aorta branchial arteries (efferent) gills

 SHARKS’ RESPIRATION

Posterior cardinal veins

 SHARKS’ RESPIRATION

Posterior cardinal veins

Posterior cardinal sinuses

 SHARKS’ RESPIRATION

Posterior cardinal veins

Posterior cardinal sinuses

Heart ventricle
 Heart ventral aorta branchial
arteries (afferent)
END
 OSTEICHTHYES:
Respiratory System
Caber
Calayon
Mamon
Marfil
Villacanas
 Respiratory System

• Gas exchange in fishes takes place in the gills.

• The operculum of the fish pumps the incoming
water through the gills.
• As water passes over gill filaments, blood inside
the capillaries picks up the dissolved oxygen.
 Respiratory System

• The direction of
blood flow is
opposite to the
water flow in the
capillaries to
absorb oxygen.
• Oxygen will be
transported to the
tissues to remove
carbon dioxide
from the body.
Components of Fish Respiratory System

Gill Filament

Responsible for absorption of oxygen,

stability of various ions and pH of the
blood.
Lamellae

Multi-structure that is positioned vertical to the gill

filament , through which capillaries run. The actual
location of respiration.
Gill Raker

Prevents stray particles from exiting

the gills that would interfere with gas
exchange.
Gill Arches

Boomerang-shaped structures that support the

gills that comprises an upper and lower limb that
are joined towards each other.
1. Gill
filaments

2. Gill rakers

3. Gill arches
Respiratory System
of Amphibians
(frogs)
 Amphibians have three types of highly
vascularized organs that can be used for
respiration.
• Gills
• Lungs
• Skin
• Buccopharyngeal mucosa (the mouth and
throat membrane)
 We do not
rely on
lungs alone!
Gills
- A newly hatched tadpole's gills are external. -
These gills take in oxygen when water passes over
them.
- As the tadpole matures, the gills are absorbed by
the body and become an internal part of the tadpole's
anatomy
I’m no longer
a baby! Hello
lungs! 
Lungs
- Frogs rely on their lungs to breathe when they are
active and need more oxygen than skin respiration alone
can provide.

Frogs only breathe through lungs when necessary.

Because they lack a diaphragm to help regulate the
pressure in their lungs, frogs must use their throats,
nostrils and mouths together to bring in and expel gases.
Skin
- A frog’s moist skin is thin and marbled with blood vessels
and capillaries close to the surface.
-The moisture on the skin dissolves oxygen from the air and
water surrounding the frog and transmits it into the blood.

Though moist skin is essential for this process, frogs are not
limited to skin respiration only when under water. Glands in
the frog’s skin produce mucus that keeps the skin moist and
allows for respiration even on dry land.
Buccopharyngeal mucosa (the mouth and throat membrane

-Frogs have an additional surface for respiration

other than their skin -- the moist lining of the mouth.

When the frog's mouth is not submerged completely

in water, this respiratory lining is in constant use,
bringing oxygen into the bloodstream from the
surrounding air and diffusing excess carbon dioxide
back into the environment.
Three Types of
Respiration
 Types of Respiration
1. Cutaneous respiration

- respiration through moist skin.

- skin is richly supplied with alone vessels and is permeable to
gases. Oxygen is dissolved in moist surface of skin.
- exchange of gases takes place by diffusion.
- It goes on all the time whether frog is in water or on land.
- It becomes the only mode of respiration during hibernation or
aestivation or when frog is under water.
 Types of Respiration
2. Buccal Respiration
- takes place on land
- mouth and glottis remains closed while nostrils
remain open.

The floor of buccal cavity is alternately raised and lowered so that air is
drawn into and expelled out of buccal cavity. The epithelial lining of
buccal cavity is moist and highly supplied with capillaries wherein
exchange of gases takes place.
 Types of Respiration
3.Pulmonary respiration
- buccal cavity acts a force pump.
The up and down movements of the floor of buccal cavity is brought by the
action of two muscles, sternohyal muscles and petrohyal muscles.
a.) sternohyal muscles
-attached at the lower and to sternum and at the upper end to under
surface of hyoid bone in the floor of buccal cavity.
b.) petrohyal muscles
-attached below to the upper surface of hyoid bone and above to
squamosal bone of skull.
 The whole process consists of two steps.
Inspiration and expiration.
Inspiration
- lungs are filled up with air.
- glottis and mouth remains closed while nostrils remain open.
- The sternohyal muscles contract, floor of buccal cavity is lowered.
Thus, the buccal cavity is enlarged and air comes into buccal cavity
through nostrils.
- the glottis opens and nostrils are closed.
- glottis opens and floor of buccal cavity is lowered by the
contraction of sternohyal muscles.
Expiration
- process in which lungs are emptied is called expiration.
- glottis closes and air remains in lungs for some time.
- the floor of buccal cavity is raised and lowered to carry
buccal respiration.
- petrohyal muscles contract, which raises the floor of
buccal cavity. The size of buccal cavity is decreased and air
passes into lungs through glottis.
Ventilation in amphibians
The end 
 HOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOOHHOHOH

REPTILES 
HOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOOHHOHOHO
 Reptiles’ lungs are the main component of their
respiratory system, just as they are in humans, birds
and land-dwelling amphibians. However, among the
main types of reptiles, there are some distinct
differences in the details of their respiratory system
functioning.
REPTILIAN RESPIRATORY

Lungs of the reptiles are large and varied:

 One of the pair may be reduced of the rudimentary in

long reptiles.
 Partitioning on the walls depends on the body size
 Bronchi and trachea are larger than amphibians and
supported by cartilaginous rings
REPTILIAN RESPIRATORY
 Each bronchus enters the lungs near the
middle or anterior end but not at the appex.
 The larynx again consist of circoids and
arytenoids cartileges that are joined to the
hyoid apparatus
 Vocal cords are present in some LIZARDS.
Many reptiles hiss by passing air in a partly
closed glottis with an erectile sound-
producing flap.
REPTILIAN RESPIRATORY

 Some snakes hiss by rubbing the scales of adjacent

body regions together
VENTILATION OF LUNGS
 RUNNING for LIZARDS interferes with breathing
 CROCODILIANS was able to over come the
interference of breathing with locomotion. Has
diaphragmatic muscle which pulls the pelvis sucking
the lungs causing inhalation
VENTILATION OF LUNGS
 TURTLES inhale when muscles
crossing the limb appertures of the
shell inlarge the internal cavity.
REPTILE RESPIRATION BASICS
Like mammalian lungs, reptile lungs work like suction
pumps. Muscles controlling the lungs cause them to
expand. The expansion causes the pressure in the
lungs to be lower than the pressure outside the lungs.
Sea snakes, for example, can take in nearly half of the
air they need through their skin .
Scale Reptile Respiration
 The most diverse group of reptiles are those with
scales – a group called Squamata. Squamates
include snakes and lizards. In these reptiles, the
muscle that controls their lungs also controls their
movement. Consequently, many reptiles must hold
their breath during rapid periods of movement,
such as running after prey or away from a
predator. A few reptiles in these groups have
developed ways around this problem.
Crocodilian Respiration
 The Crocodilian group includes crocodiles,
alligators, caimans and gharials. These reptiles
have developed a more efficient respiration
method than that seen in lizards and snakes.
Members of this reptile group have a diaphragm
muscle, sometimes referred to as the heptatic
piston, attached to their liver; the opposite side
of the liver is attached to the lungs.
Testudine Respiration
 Unlike other reptiles, most
turtles and their cousins have
rigid shells that are not capable
of expansion. But some turtles
can expand or contract the
space within their body cavities
to allow for breathing
RESPIRATION
AVES
Respiratory System
of
Mammals
 Mammalian
respiratory system,
is consist of tubes
and is responsible
for the exchange of
gases by filtering
incoming air and
transporting it into
the lungs where
microscopic
alveoli are located.
The alveoli are
responsible for
internal gas
exchange.
 The organs of the
“Respiratory Tract”
can be divided into two groups
“STRUCTURALLY”

** The Upper Respiratory ** The Lower Respiratory Tract

Tract
* Nose * Larynx

* Nasal cavity * Trachea

* Sinuses * Bronchial Tree

* Pharynx * Lungs
THE HUMAN RESPIRATORY SYSTEM
I. NOSE
A. N a s a l C a v i t y
B. P a r a n a s a l S i n u s e s

II. PHARYNX

III. LARYNX
A. E p I g i o t t i s
B. V o c a l C o r d s

IV. TRACHEA

V. BRONCHI
A. B r o n c h i a l T r e e

VI. LUNGS
A. L o b e s o f t h e L u n g s
B. P l e u r a l C a v i t i e s
C. A l v e o l i
 THE NOSE
* It provides an entrance for air in which air is

filtered by coarse hairs inside the nostrils.

* It has 2 portions : the external and internal

 The Nasal Cavity

* Interior area of the nose; lined with a sticky

mucous
membrane and contains tiny, surface
hairs,
cilia. divided medially by the nasal
septum.
 Paranasal Sinuses
* Sinuses are air-filled spaces
within the maxillary, frontal,
ethmoid,
and sphenoid bones of the skull.
 THE PHARYNX
* The “throat” is a funnel shaped tube that lies
posterior
to the nasal cavity, oral cavity and larynx;
and anteriorly to the cervical vertebra.

* It is composed of:
Nasopharynx – uppermost portion
Oropharynx – middle portion
Laryngopharynx – lowermost portion
 THE LARYNX

* It is an enlargement in the airway

superior to the trachea and inferior to the pharynx.

* It helps keep particles from entering the trachea

and also houses the vocal cords.

* It is composed of a framework of muscles

and cartilage bound by elastic tissue
 The Epiglottis

* It is a large leaf-shaped piece of cartilage.

* A flap of cartilage that prevents food from

entering the trachea (or windpipe).

* During swallowing, there is elevation of the larynx

 The Vocal Cords
* Inside the larynx, 2 pairs of folds of muscle and
connective tissues covered with mucous
membrane make up the vocal cords.

   a. The upper pair is the false vocal cords.

   b. The lower pair is the true vocal cords.

   c. Changing tension on the vocal cords controls

pitch,
while increasing the loudness depends upon
increasing the force of air vibrating the
 The Vocal Cords
* During normal breathing,

-the vocal cords are relaxed and the

glottis is a triangular slit.

* During swallowing,

-the false vocal cords and epiglottis

close off the glottis.
 THE TRACHEA

* It is a tubular passageway for air, located anterior

to the esophagus

* It extends from the larynx to the 5th thoracic vertebra

where it divides into the right and left bronchi.
 BRONCHI
* The Bronchi are the two main air
passages
into the lungs.

* They are composed of the:

** “Right Primary Bronchus”

- leading to the right lung.

** “Left Primary Bronchus”

- leading to the left lung.
 THE LUNGS

•The paired soft, spongy, cone-shaped lungs,

separated medially by the mediastinum and are
enclosed by the diaphragm and thoracic cage.

•2 layers of serous membrane, collectively known as

pleural membrane, enclose and protect each lung.

** Parietal Pleura
- outer layer attached to the thoracic cavity

** Visceral Pleura
- inner layer covering the lung itself
 THE LUNGS
trachea

Right-3 lobes Left-2 lobes

 The Alveoli
* They are cup-shaped out pouching lined
by epithelium and supported by a thin elastic
basement membrane.

* Alveolar sacs are 2 or more alveoli that

share a common opening.

* This is where the primary exchange of gases occur.

 Summary of
FUNCTIONS
STRUCTURE FUNCTION

nose / nasal cavity  warms, moistens, & filters air as it is inhaled

pharynx (throat)  passageway for air, leads to trachea

larynx  the voice box, where vocal chords are located

 tube from pharynx to bronchi

 rings of cartilage provide structure, keeps the
trachea (windpipe) windpipe "open"
 trachea is lined with fine hairs called cilia which
filter air before it reaches the lungs

 two branches at the end of the trachea, each

bronchi
lead to a lung

 a network of smaller branches leading from the

bronchioles bronchi into the lung tissue & ultimately to air
sacs

 the functional respiratory units in the lung where

alveoli gases (oxygen & carbon dioxide) are exchanged
(enter & exit the blood stream)
 Evolution of Lungs
from
Amphibians to Mammals

O “Adaptation to the increase in the body

size or metabolic rate gave rise to
compartmentalization of the lungs” –
this is the principal evolutionary trend
- From large but small lungs of the
anurans to more finely and
homogenously divided lungs of
mammals.
 Evolutionary Adaptations

O Smooth muscle and mucous glands are

present in the wall.
O In the lungs, the bronchi divides into smaller
bronchi which further divides into numerous
membranous bronchioles.
O Lung volume is proportional to body size