Chapter 1

2. GASEOUS EXCHANGE IN
ANIMALS
 GASEOUS EXCHANGE

The Lungs
EXTERNAL GILLS: Gills generally have a higher surface
area but are less protected.

INTERNAL GILLS: Gills generally have a lower surface

area but are more protected.
(gills don’t work in air)

TRACHEOLES: Insects Can control the rate of gas

exchange using lactic Acid by using tracheoles.

LUNGS: Reptiles and birds have air sacs to keep

lungs always inflated (like a bellows) that takes the
dead air from the lungs during the next breathe to
• Like plants, animals do exchange gases with
their environment for the respiration process.
In order to obtain energy from food.
• They take in oxygen and give out carbon
dioxide. So the process of gaseous exchange is
ultimately linked with the respiration.
Take In
O2

Gives
Out CO 2
• The respiratory medium for aquatic animals
is water whereas for terrestrial animals is air.
The amount of molecular oxygen present in
air is about 21% while in water it is about
5%.
•Water Medium
•4%

•Air Medium
•21%
• In order to exchange gases, animals have a respiratory
surface. In unicellular organisms like Protozoa, the
plasma membrane serves as the respiratory surface. In
multi cellular animals, their body surface or some
internal surface could serve as the respiratory surface.
Respiratory
Surfaces

Multi cellular
Organisms

Protozoa Complex Body Organism

Require a circulatory
Plasma membrane system to move
(fluid around the cell gases to each and
in to cytoplasm) every cell
 Properties/Characteristics of Respiratory
surface:
1) Thin
(epithelium makes short distance diffusion of O2 and CO2 gases to exchange)

2) Wet
(surface covered with either water or mucous)

3) Permeable
(those gases can only cross cell membranes when they are moist)

4) large in relation to the volume of the body.

(large surface area such as Lungs and Gills)
• Proportion of Respiratory surface: It must be
sufficiently large enough to exchange gases for
all the cells of the body.
• For example, the total surface area of the
respiratory surface in human is about 20 times
to the size of the body.
 Respiratory Surfaces

• Large surface area:

• Respiratory Surfaces Large surface area: An
increase 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 area to
volume ration of the animal body.