Gas Exchange In Fish Flashcards
What are the features of the fish outer covering?
Gas-tight and waterproof.
Where are the gills located and what are they made up of?
Located within the body of the fish, behind the head. They are made up of gill filaments.
What is the structure of the gill filaments?
Stacked in a pile
Why are gill lamellae important in exchange through the gills?
Increase surface area of the gills
How are gills opened?
Water is taken in through the mouth and forced over the gills and out through an opening on each side of their body.
Why is countercurrent gas exchange efficient?
If water and blood flowed in the same direction, less gas exchange would take place. It ensures maximum possible gas exchange is achieved.
What is the key feature of the countercurrent exchange system?
Blood and water that flow over the gill lamellae, do so in an opposite direction.
What does the countercurrent system arrangement mean for gas exchange?
Diffusion of oxygen from the water to the blood takes place.
- When blood is high and low concentrated with oxygen, water will always contain a higher concentration of oxygen and so diffusion of oxygen will always take place form the water into the blood.
