BIOL273 Chapter : BIOL 273 - Unit 5- Respiratory System
5 Nov 2013
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The exchange surface must be thin and moist to allow gases to pass from air into solution, and yet at the same time must be protected from dying out as a result of exposure to air. Some animals have behavioural adaptations that restrict them to humid environments and night-time activities. A more common solution to dehydration is anatomical: an internalized respiratory epithelium (ie. human lungs) It creates a humid environment for the exchange of gases with the blood and protects the delicate exchange surface from damage: air flow requires a muscular pump to create pressure gradients. The respiratory is also a significant source of water loss and heat loss from the body which must be balanced using homeostasis. Air is a less viscous, compressible mixture of gases while blood is a non-compressible liquid. Cellular respiration = refers to the intracellular reaction of oxygen with organic molecules to produce carbon dioxide, water, and energy in the form of atp.
