knowledge organisers unit 2 Flashcards
How much oxygen an organism needs depends on its…
volume
The rate that oxygen is absorbed at depends on the…
surface area available for gas exchange
What does the surface area to volume ratio of an organism affect
- the surface adapted for use for gas exchange.
- the level of activity of the organism
What happens to SA:V ratio as organisms increase in size
SA:V ratio decreases so specialized respiratory surfaces are needed
Why can’t insects use their external surface for gas exchange?
As they’re covered in an impermeable cuticle to reduce water loss by evaporation.
Gas exchange in insects
- Pairs of spiracles on segments of the thorax and abdomen.
- These holes lead to tubes called tracheae leading to tracheoles.
- Tracheoles enter muscle cells directly. They have fluid at the end for dissolving and diffusion of oxygen.
- During flight, when oxygen requirements increase, fluid in tracheoles decreases to shorten diffusion path and whole-body
contractions ventilate the tracheal system by speeding up air flow through spiracles.
Why do fish require a specialised gas exchange surface?
- they have a smaller SA:V ratio
- relatively active and so have high metabolic rates, making oxygen requirements high.
- require a ventilation mechanism to maintain concentration gradients for gas exchange
What does a fish ventilation mechanism do
Pushes water (a dense medium with low oxygen content) over the high surface area gill filaments
What does removal of water do to gill filaments
Causes them to collapse, stick together and the gas exchange surface becomes too small for survival
Steps of ventilation in fish
- Mouth opens, floor of buccal cavity lowers so volume increases, pressure decreases and water rushes in.
- Mouth closes, floor of buccal cavity raises, increasing pressure pushing water over the gills.
- Pressure in gill cavity increases and water forces operculum open and leaves through it.
Structure of gills
Gills have gill filaments made of gill plates/lamellae (the gas exchange surface across which the water flows). Gill rakers prevent large particles entering and blocking the gills
What must gas exchange surfaces be?
-Moist in terrestrial animals.
-Be thin for a short diffusion pathway.
-Have a large S.A.
-Be permeable to gases.
-Good blood supply to maintain concentration gradients (larger organisms only)
What is a continuous flow
If water and blood flow in the same direction, equilibrium is reached and oxygen diffusion reaches no net movement halfway across the gill plate
What is counter current flow
If water and blood flow in opposite directions across the gill plate, the concentration gradient is maintained and oxygen diffuses into the blood across the entire gill plate.
How do amoeba adapt to gas exchange?
- single cell.
- large SA:V ratio.
- there is a short diffusion distance to the middle of the cell
How do flatworms adapt to gas exchange?
- multicellular.
- smaller SA:V ratio.
- flattened body to reduce diffusion distance so rate of oxygen diffusion through body surface meets demand
How do earthworms adapt to gas exchange?
- multicellular.
- small SA:V ratio.
- mucus secreted to moisten surface and slow moving to reduce oxygen demand.
Steps of ventilation in humans INSPIRATION
- External intercostal muscles contract and pull the rib cage up and out.
- Outer pleural membrane is pulled out. This reduces pressure in the pleural cavity and the inner pleural membrane is pulled outward.
- This pulls on the surface of the lungs and causes an increase in the volume of the alveoli.
- Alveolar pressure decreases to below atmospheric pressure and air is drawn into the lungs.
Why do amphibia have aquatic tadpoles with feathery gills
don’t ventilate like fish but movement of the gills through water maintains a concentration gradient
Gas exchange in amphibia
have soft, moist skin and exchange gases over their surface at rest. Oxygen and carbon dioxide circulate through a closed circulation system containing haemoglobin. When active, movements of the buccal
cavity ventilate lungs, which are simple with few alveoli
What does a cuticle do
Waxy transparent layer so allows light to pass through to the photosynthetic palisade mesophyll below, but reduces water lost by evaporation through the top surface of the lead
What does the upper epidermis do
transparent for light to easily
penetrate to photosynthetic layers
What does the palisade mesophyll do
Packed with chloroplasts
What does the vascular bundle do
Contain xylem (carries water from roots), phloem (carry sucrose to other parts of the plant) and bundle sheath parenchyma