Breathing and Exchange of Gases
ICSE · Class 11 · Biology
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1. Respiratory organs in animals
- Respiratory organs are the organs concerned with gaseous exchange, that is, intake of oxygen and output of carbon dioxide.
- In unicellular organisms such as Amoeba, gaseous exchange occurs through the general body surface or plasmalemma.
- In Sycon and Hydra, gas exchange takes place by simple diffusion between flowing water and individual cells.
2. Human respiratory system
- The human respiratory system has two main components: the lungs and the respiratory tract.
- The respiratory tract includes nostrils, nasal cavity, nasopharynx, larynx, trachea, bronchi, and bronchioles.
- Nostrils are the openings of the nasal cavities.
3. Mechanism of breathing and gas exchange
- Breathing is the mechanical process of taking fresh air into the lungs and expelling foul air from the lungs.
- Inspiration is active and expiration is passive.
- Breathing is involuntary and normally occurs at a constant rate of 12 to 14 per minute in a resting person.
4. Transport of oxygen and carbon dioxide
- About 97 per cent of oxygen is transported by RBCs and about 3 per cent is carried dissolved in plasma.
- In arterial blood, about 19 mL of oxygen is present per 100 mL blood; 0.3 mL is dissolved in plasma and 18.7 mL is bound to haemoglobin.
- Haemoglobin is an iron-containing respiratory pigment in RBCs.
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