Transcript File
Respiration
AP Biology
Unit 6
Types of Respiratory Systems
• Animals typically do gas exchange through
one (or more) of the following means:
–
–
–
–
Skin (body surface)
Gills (internal or external)
Lungs
Tracheal System
Respiratory Media
• Both air and water can serve as respiratory
media (what is being “breathed” in)
– Ex. Fish respire water, humans respire air
• What are the advantages of respiring air
versus water?
Air as a respiratory media
• Advantages
– Lighter
– Contains more O2
• Disadvantages
– Membranes dry out more easily (moisture
needed)
Water as a media
• Advantages
– Keeps membrane moist (so they continue
functioning properly)
• Disadvantages
– Heavier
– Contains less O2
Respiratory Systems: Gills
• Fish use their gills as a respiratory surface
• Water flows in through mouth, across the
gills, then out through the operculum
• As the water flows across the gills, O2
diffuses into the capillaries in the gills, CO2
diffuses out.
Respiratory Systems: Gills
• Water flows across the gills in the opposite
direction as the blood flowing in the
capillaries = Countercurrent Flow
Image taken without permission from http://bcs.whfreeman.com/thelifewire/
Respiratory Systems: Gills
• Why is countercurrent exchange an
effective way to get O2 from water?
(especially compared to concurrent flow)
Image taken without permission from http://bcs.whfreeman.com/thelifewire/
Respiratory Systems: Gills
• Countercurrent flow
is an effective way to
get O2 because as the
blood flows, it
always meets water
that is more highly
oxygenated
allows O2 to diffuse
into the blood along
the entire length of
the gills
Image taken without permission from http://bcs.whfreeman.com/thelifewire/
Tracheal Systems
• Insects have spiracles which
open up to the outside
• Air flows in from the
spiracles and through the
tracheae
• The tracheal system is so
extensive that this allows air
to flow right next to the body
cells
Question…
• How does the tracheal system allow insects
to maintain a high metabolic rate despite
having an open circulatory system?
– They don’t use their circulatory system to
transport O2 to cells– flows directly from
tracheae to cells open circulatory system not
a factor
Respiratory Systems: Birds
• Birds have air sacs and lungs
• Air sacs = for storing air (no gas exchange
occurs here)
• Lungs – where gas exchange (O2 into blood
and CO2 out) occurs
Respiratory Systems: Birds
• Birds have one way flow through their
lungs
• Animation
Question…
• How does a bird’s respiratory system allow
it to maintain high levels of activity, even at
high altitudes (where there is less O2)?
– One way flow means that the most oxygenated
air is always flowing across the lung surfaces
– There is no “old/stale” air left over in the lungs
that takes up space
Mammalian Respiratory System
• Pathway of air
• Nasal cavity & mouth pharynx (back of
throat trachea bronchi bronchioles
alveoli
Mammalian Respiratory System
• Trachea
– Windpipe
– Lined with rings of cartilage
for structural support
• Bronchi
– Main branches leading from
trachea
• Bronchioles
– Smaller branches (no
cartilage rings)
Alveoli
• Air sacs with very thin walls
• Surrounded by lung
capillaries
• Where gas exchange occurs
• Random fact: You have
approximately 300 million
alveoli in your lungs– surface
area is equivalent to ¼ of a
basketball court
Inhalation
• Inhalation = taking air into
the lungs
• Diaphragm contracts
(flattens) space in chest
cavity expands (pressure
lowered) air from outside
is sucked in (flows from
high to low pressure)
Exhalation
• Exhalation = air leaves the
lungs
• Diaphragm relaxes (moves
up) less space in chest
cavity air is pushed out
of lungs
Diffusion of Gases in the Alveoli
• Diffusion of O2 and CO2 in the lungs
(alveoli) is caused by differences in partial
pressure
• Partial pressure = pressure due to one
particular gas (kind of like concentration)
– PO2 = partial pressure due to O2
– PCO2 = partial pressure due to CO2
Diffusion of Gases
• Oxygen diffuses into
the capillaries from the
alveoli (PO2 in the
capillaries is lower
than PO2 in the alveoli)
• CO2 diffuse into the
alveoli from the
capillaries (PCO2 in the
capillaries is higher
than PCO2 in the
alveoli)
Transport of Oxygen in the Blood
• Oxygen is transported by hemoglobin in red
blood cells
– Each hemoglobin molecule can carry 4 O2
molecules
– Cooperative binding = once the first O2 binds,
the next 3 are able to bind more easily
Bohr Effect
• pH changes hemoglobin’s
affinity (ability to bind) for
oxygen Bohr effect
• At lower pHs, hemoglobin
doesn’t bind O2 as well
lets it go into the
surrounding tissues
Question…
• Why would it make sense to drop off more
O2 when the pH is lower?
– Lower pH is due to lactic acid from
fermentation
– This means the cells in that region need more
O2 hemoglobin drops it off more readily
Hemoglobin affinity
• Certain organisms also
have hemoglobin with a
high affinity for oxygen
– Fetus has a higher affinity
for O2 compared to its
mother
– Llamas have a higher
affinity for O2 compared to
animals who live at sea
level
Image taken without permission from http://bcs.whfreeman.com/thelifewire/
Question…
• Why would a fetus have hemoglobin with a
higher affinity for O2 than its mother?
• The only way for a fetus to get O2 is from
its mother (umbilical cord) it has to be
able to have hemoglobin that can “grab” O2
from its mother’s bloodstream
Question…
• Why would a llama have hemoglobin with a
higher affinity for O2 compared to other
mammals?
• At higher altitudes, there is less O2 in the air
(lower PO2) llamas have to be able to
grab more O2 at a lower PO2 to get enough
to survive.
Transport of CO2
• CO2 is mostly
transported as HCO3(bicarbonate ions) in the
blood plasma
• After CO2 diffuses into
the blood from the body
cells, carbonic anhydrase
(enzyme in RBC)
converts CO2 into
bicarbonate ions
Transport of CO2
• When the bicarbonate reaches the lungs, the
carbonic anhydrase converts it back into
CO2 gas it diffuses out into the alveoli
Control of Respiration
• Regulated by brain
(medulla oblongata and
pons) that controls the
diaphragm and rib
muscles to change rate or
depth of breathing
• Sensors send messages to
brain from elsewhere in
body
Control of Respiration
• Messages include those
about:
– O2 concentration (only
when very low)
– pH of blood (related to
CO2 concentration)
Control of Respiration
• CO2 / blood pH has a much stronger effect
on breathing rate than O2 levels
5 slides left
Question…
• How would holding your breath affect your
blood pH?
– It would cause pH to drop since CO2 is not
being eliminated
4 slides left
Marine Mammal Diving Reflex
• When marine mammals dive,
their heart rate goes way
down– sometimes it goes
down to 3 or 4 beats a
minute
• This is the diving reflex
3 slides left
Marine Mammal Diving Reflex
• Blood is sent primarily to
the brain, eyes and adrenal
glands
• Blood flow to muscles is
shut off – it just uses the O2
stored in the myoglobin in
muscles
– Myoglobin is an oxygen
carrying molecule in muscles
2 slides left
Marine Mammal Diving Reflex
• What adaptations does the marine mammal
have to allow them to stay underwater for a
long time (sometimes up to 2 hrs)?
– Lots of myoglobin to store O2 in muscles
– More blood to store more O2
– Huge spleen
1 slide left
Human Diving Reflex
• Humans have a similar reflex
• When your face is submerged, your heart
rate goes down
• Might be a protective response during birth
when the pressure can prevent O2 from
getting to the baby from the umbilical cord
slowing down blood flow slows down O2
depletion in blood
Last slide!