Chapter 7 - Exchange Surfaces Flashcards
why don’t elephant sized insects exist?
- insects have exoskeletons
- carrying a thick & tough exoskeleton requires a lot of energy - high energy demand
- if insects were bigger, the Vol of O2 required would be very large to meet the demands
insects DO NOT exchange gases via _____?
BLOOD
- contain a liquid called hemolymph that transports the products of digestion to their cells NOT O2
-
what do insects have that delivers O2 and removes CO2?
a tracheal system
why do large, multicellular active organisms need specialised exchange surfaces, and small unicellular organisms don’t?
they have different SA:V
small organisms have a ___ SA:V
small organisms have a large SA:V e.g. amoeba, paramecium
large organisms have a ___ SA:V
small ,e.g. elephants, humans, ect
all cells?
- have a demand for e.g. O2, glucose, AAs ect..
- these molecules come from outside the organism - their environment
{diffusion} organisms w a large SA:V
- Organisms w a large SA:V e.g. amoeba obtain these molecules by diffusion directly from the environment - DIFFUSION IS SUFFICIENT TO SUPPLY THE DEMANDS
{diffusion} organisms w a small SA:V?
- organisms w a small SA:V e.g. humans, elephants, ect. need specialised exchange surfaces to supply demand for these molecules. DIFFUSION IS NOT SUFFICIENT TO SUPPLY DEMAND
Exchange surfaces are adapted to?
- exchange surfaces are adapted to maximise the rate of diffusion across them
- this is summarised by Fick’s law
Fick’s law:?
Rate of diffusion = (SA x Conc gradient) / Diffusion distance
the SA and conc gradient need to be as ____ as possible?
BIG
the diffusion distance needs to be as ___ as possible?
SMALL
Why must exchange surfaces be moist?
Substances diffuse IN SOLUTION
How is SA maximised ?
a very large no. of alveoli
how is the conc gradient of CO2 + H2O maximised:?
by ventilation + circulation
what is the diffusion distance minimised by:?
walls of alveoli are 1 cell thick - squamous epithelial cells
what does the nasal cavity do?
warms and moistens inhaled air
what does the epigolttis do?
prevents food from entering trachea during swallowing
What does the pleural fluid do?
cause exterior of lungs and interior of ribcage to stay in contact during ventilation
what does the bronchus do?
smaller branches of the airways
what does the alveolus do?
the site of gas exchange
what does the diaphragm do?
contracts, moving down. Increases lung volume of thoracic cavity causing inhalation
what does the larynx do?
contains vocal cords - allows production of sound when exhaling
trachea?
largest airway into lungs. Cartilage prevents collapse of trachea. Lined with ciliated epithelial tissue
what does the rib do?
protection for lungs n heart, and forms rigid thoracic cavity. Also, attachment points for intercostal muscles
external intercostal muscle?
contract to move ribs up and out - causing inhalation
internal intercostal muscles?
contract pulling ribs down and in - forced exhalation
what does pulmonary surfactant do?
stops alveoli from collapsing
what is ventilation?
breathing in and out
macrophages?
‘patrol’ inner surface of alveoli, destroying pathogens
what is the capillary that runs alongside the alveloli called?
alveolar capillary
deoxygenated blood comes from ? to the alveolar capillary/
pulmonary artery
blood goes from the alveolar capillary to ?
oxygenated blood to pulmonary vein
How the O2 & CO2 conc gradient is maintained?
- O2 conc is always high in the alveoli as ventilation continuously occurs, and it is low in the blood as as the blood circulates in the capillary, the O2 is immediately removed
- CO2 conc is low in the alveoli as CO2 is being constantly breathed out, and is high in the blood as it is constantly added while the blood circulates from the heart
⭐what is ventilation ?
the physical process of moving air into the lungs - inhalation + out of the lungs - exhalation
what does ventilation rely on?
pressure gradients - between the atmosphere and thoracic cavity - space where lungs are
⭐O2 consumption ?
DRAW TRIANGLE
What can we calculate from a spirometer trace??
1 - Tidal volume (dm3) 2 - Expiratory reserve volume (dm3) 3 - Inspiratory reserve volume 4 - Vital capacity 5 - breathing rate 6 - ventilation rate 7 - rate of oxygen consumption
ventilation rate = ?
breathing rate x tidal volume
- (dm 3 min -1)
breathing rate = ?
(breaths min -1)
rate of oxygen consumption =?
(Vol of O2 consumed)/ time taken
- in (dm 3 min -1)
what is the residual volume?
- bar on top of the highest crest
- when we breathe out as much O2 as possible out, ther is still some O2 left - around 0.75dm3
➡ bc residual volume is the air left in the open airways (.e. trachea) - airways are kept open by the cartilage and it’s just impossible for a;; air to be breathed out
what do you always work out for a spirometer trace calculation?
no. of mm for 1 min
no. of mm for 1dm3
gas exchange in fish - what problems does obtaining O2 from H20 present?
- water is 1000x denser than air and water is 100x more viscous than air ➡ so it would require a of energy to move water into and out of e..g. lungs
- water is lower in O2 conc than air - 1% compared to 21%
how are the problems caused by getting O2 from water solved by fish?
- fish ventilate their gills by forcing water to flow past them in 1 direction
the circulatory system of fish?
- single
- a fish heart has only 2 chambers - one atrium and one ventricle
- there’s: gill capillaries, efferent branchial artery, system capillaries, heart
what does the efferent branchial artery do?
EFF off - go away
Efferent - away from the gill capillaries
what does the afferent branchial artery do?
carries blood towards gill capillaries
the counter current mechanism?
- blood flows from the back of the gill filaments to the front through capillaries in the lamellae
- this is the opposite direction to the way water flows across the filaments - a counter current mechanism
why use a counter current mechanism though?
- opposite direction of flow
- constant conc gradient is maintained - there is always a diff of 1
- diffusion doesn’t stop - more effective
describe the process of inspiration?
1 - external intercostal muscles contract
2 - contraction of the muscle in the diaphragm pulls the diaphragm lower - increasing the volume of the thorax
3 - increased volume causes pressure to fall in the thorax. Air flows in down a pressure gradient
relaxed expiration?
1 - elastic fibres in the spaces between alveoli are stretched
2 - diaphragm and intercostal muscles relax, elastic fibres recoil
3 - causing the volume to decrease and the pressure to increase in the thorax
4 - air flows out of the lungs
forced expiration ?
1 - contraction of the internal intercostal muscles causes the rib cage to move downwards and inwards
2 - this decreases the V of the thorax and Increases P
3 - Diaphragm relaxes
4 - contraction of the abdominal wall muscle increases pressure and raises the diaphragm
5 - decreased pressure in the thorax, air flows out of the lungs