ESYS 101 Lecture Notes - Lecture 13: Coconut Crab, Air Sacs, Cuticle
Document Summary
Close to blood supply, layer of moisture at exchange surface. Respiration - process of uptake of o2 and release of co2. O2 is final electron acceptor in cell respiration. Diffusion : movement of a gas from a higher to a lower concentration. Bulk flow : movement of gas across surface, down pressure gradient. Aquatic animals use much more energy to extract o2. The solubility of gases in water decreases with increasing temp. Bc gills can"t support their own weight in air. Gills stick together which decreases the surface area, which means less oxygen uptake. In still water, boundary layer will be depleted of oxygen. Surface must be large enough for gas exchange. Highly active fish have the largest relative gill areas. For adequate gas exchange, a high rate of water flow and close contact between water and gill are needed. Gill cavity puts water in close contact. Water flows into the mouth and over gill filaments containing blood vessels.
