Exchange surfaces and breathing Flashcards
What are the 3 main factors that affect the need for an exchange system?
- size
- surface area to volume ratio
- level of activity
How does size affect the need for an exchange system?
- small organisms (single celled) can receive a sufficient supply of oxygen from environment by diffusion
- for multicellular organisms diffusion is too slow to enable sufficient supply to innermost cells
How does SA:V affect the need for an exchange system?
- small organisms have a large SA:V, SA is large enough for sufficient oxygen to diffuse into all cells.
- large organisms have small SA:V
How does level of activity affect the need for an exchange system?
- some organisms are more active than others
- cells of active organism need good supplies of nutrients and oxygen to supply energy for movement
- organisms (mammals) that keep themselves warm need more energy.
What are the features of a good exchange surface?
- large surface area to provide more space for molecules to pass through. Walls are often folded (root hair cells).
- permeable and thin barrier to reduce diffusion distance (alveoli)
- good blood supply to maintain steep conc gradient for fast diffusion ( and removal of metabolic waste products that can be toxic)
What are alveoli?
tiny folds of the lung epithelium to increase the SA
What’s the trachea?
main airway leading from the back of the mouth to the lungs
What are bronchi and bronchioles?
smaller airways leading into the lungs
What’s the diaphragm?
layer of muscle beneath the lungs
What are intercostal muscles?
muscle between the ribs
What’s ventilation?
the refreshing of the air in the lungs so there’s a higher oxygen concentration than in blood, and lower carbon dioxide conc for fast diffusion
Why are alveoli so numerous?
large SA to provide more space for molecules to pass through
Why does surfactant coat internal surface of alveoli?
- to reduce the cohesive forces between water molecules as they make alveoli collapse
- also helps gases dissolve
What the barrier to exchange comprised of?
- wall of alveolus
- wall of capillary
- cells readily allow diffusion of oxygen and carbon dioxide as they’re small and non polar
How is the barrier to exchange thin to reduce diffusion distance?
- alveolus and capillary walls are one cell thick
- both consist of squamous epithelium (flattened or very thin cells)
- capillary in close contact with alveolus wall
- capillaries have narrow lumen so RBCs are close to air in alveoli.
Why is it important for blood to carry carbon dioxide from tissues to lungs?
ensures conc gradient of CO2 in blood is higher than that in air in alveoli so carbon dioxide diffuses into alveoli
Why is it important for blood to carry oxygen away from lungs?
ensures that the conc of oxygen in blood is kept lower than that in alveoli so oxygen diffuses into the blood
Explain inspiration
- diaphragm contracts to move down and becomes flatter (this displaces the digestive organs downwards)
- external intercostal muscles contract to raise ribs
- volume of chest cavity increases
- pressure in chest cavity drops below atmospheric pressure
- air moves into the lungs
Explain expiration
- diaphragm relaxes and moves upwards (is pushed up by displaced organs underneath)
- external intercostal muscles relax and ribs fall
- during exercise, coughing, sneezing, internal intercostal muscle contract to push air out more forcefully
- volume of chest cavity decreases
- pressure in lungs rises above atmospheric pressure
- air is moved out of lungs
What kind of fibres do alveoli contain and why?
- elastic fibres help them stretch during inspiration but then recoil to help push air out doing expiration