Substance exchange Flashcards
pulmonary ventilation rate (PVR)
PVR = tidal volume X breathing rate
tidal volume: normal volume of air displaced by the lungs at rest (cm3)
breathing rate: the number of breaths taken per minute (bpm)
Air is pulled into the lungs through the trachea:
the trachea divides into 2 bronchi, which further divide into bronchioles, until they terminate into alveoli.
when the volume of the lungs decreases,
the pressure increases, and causes air to be pushed out
when the volume of the lungs increases,
it decreases the pressure, causing air to be drawn in.
inhalation
external intercostal muscles contract, move ribs up
diaphragm contracts, flattens
lung volume increases
pressure in thoracic cavity decreases
movement of air into lungs
Exhalation
external intercostal muscles relax, move ribs down
diaphragm relaxes, moves up
lung volume decreases
pressure in thoracic cavity increases
movement of air out of the lungs
alveoli maxim gas exchange by:
- having a very large surface area
- being moist to aid diffusion of gases
- having a rich blood supply to maintain a concentration gradient
- the alveolar epithelium and capillaries are very thin, so the diffusion distance between air in alveoli and red blood cells in capillaries is short.
lung diseases decrease the surface area of the lungs, reducing
oxygen uptake
chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases (COPD) include:
- asthma: air pollution can result in asthma, causing airways to narrow
- bronchitis: a lung infection, causing inflammation of the linings, excess mucus production and coughs
- emphysema: phagocytes cross alveoli walls and break down proteins, causing alveoli to burst - reduces number o alveoli and number of capillaries, decreasing uptake of oxygen.
single-celled organism have a
large surface area to volume ration - can rely on diffusion for substance to move into and out of them.
mesophyll
- large, moist surfaces to absorb oxygen and carbon dioxide, facilitating diffusion
- air spaces between cells to allow gases to diffuse
- concentration gradient formed as gases are absorbed or released.
stomata
- allow gases to pass in and out of pores in the leaf surface
- gases diffuse due to concentration gradient between the inside and outside of the leaf
- stomata can close to reduce water loss
xerophytes
plants that grow in dry habitats (e.g. cacti, marram grass)a
adaptations to reduce water evaporation from leaves, whilst enabling gas exchange and photosynthesis, include:
- thicker cuticle
- reduced leaf surface area (e.g. spines or needles)
- sunken and fewer stomata
- rolled leaves.
spiracles (gas exchange in insects)
valves to allow air in and out by diffusion
terrestrial insects use
their spiracle valves to balance water loss and gas exchange
- in hot, dry conditions, water can be lost rapidly via evaporation from the spiracles. The valves close to reduce this.
adaptations of gills
- large surface area of lamellae and filaments when in water
- rich blood supply by mass flow to the gills
- concentration gradient of oxygen along the whole length of the lamellae by a countercurrent principle.
countercurrent principle
blood in the capillaries flows in the opposite direction to the water flowing over them.
by allowing the blood to flow in the opposite direction to the water,
an oxygen concentration gradient is maintained, where the oxygen concentration in the water is always high than in the blood.
- this maximises the amount of oxygen that can diffuse into the bloodstream and prevents oxygen diffusing back into the water again once the blood is oxygen rich.
during digestion, the addition of water molecules in hydrolysis reactions
breaks down large biological molecules into smaller molecules.
- these can be absorbed across cell membranes
digestion is a 2-step process in mammals:
- physical breakdown
- chemical digestion
physical breakdown
food is broken down into smaller pieces by teeth to increase the surface area available for enzyme action
chemical digestion
large, insoluble molecules are broken down into small, soluble ones by enzymes (hydrolases)
the 3 main types of hydrolases are:
carbohydrases, lipases and peptidases
carbohydrates are hydrolysed by…
amylases and membrane-bound disaccharides into lactose, glucose and other monosaccharides
lipids are hydrolysed by…
lipase (in association with bile salts) into fatty acids and monoglycerides
proteins are hydrolysed by…
exopeptidases, endopeptidases, and membrane-bound dipeptidases into amino acids.
exopeptidases hydrolyse
amino acids at the ends of the peptides, reducing them to amino acids