Which Of The Following Groups Of Animals Has The Most Efficient Gas Exchange?

Animate being arrangement - gaseous exchange systems

Nearly animals and plants consist of dissimilar types of cells organised every bit tissues, organs and systems. The human respiratory organization is a trunk system adapted for efficient gas exchange.

The human gas commutation system

The human lungs provide an exchange surface adapted for:

absorbing oxygen – needed for respiration – into the blood from the air
transferring carbon dioxide – produced by respiration – from the blood into the lungs then the air

The lungs are organs enclosed within the chest or thorax . Air needs to be breathed in to be brought into contact with the substitution surfaces inside the lungs. This procedure is called ventilation .

The structure of the respiratory organization

The human being respiratory system is adapted to allow air to pass in and out of the torso, and for efficient gas exchange to happen.

The lungs are enclosed in the thorax, surrounded and protected by 12 pairs of ribs. The ribs are moved past two sets of intercostal muscles . There is a muscular diaphragm below the lungs. The lungs are sealed inside two closed pleural membranes . These wrap around the lungs and line the rib cage.

Diagram showing the process of breathing and the components used

The trachea , or windpipe, branches into two bronchi – one bronchus to each lung. Rings of cartilage in the walls of the trachea assist to proceed it open as air is drawn in.

The bronchi split into smaller branches and and so into smaller tubes called bronchioles . Each bronchiole ends in a cluster of microscopic air sacs called alveoli .

Gaseous exchange

The exchange of gases occurs between the alveoli and blood in the capillaries that supply the lungs. Capillaries cover 70% of the outside of alveoli, providing a large surface area for gases to diffuse across.

Diagram illustrating the air sacs called alveoli which are attached to bronchioles.

In cross section:

The alveoli are adapted to provide a very large surface area for gaseous exchange:

The alveoli are adjusted to provide a very large surface expanse for gaseous exchange:

pocket-sized size - each air sac is a small sphere nearly 300 μm in diameter, giving information technology a larger surface surface area to book ratio than larger structures
number - there are around 700 meg alveoli – ie 350 1000000 per lung

The total surface area of the alveoli is around lxx foursquare metres.

There is also a brusk improvidence path - the walls of blood capillaries and alveoli are just one jail cell thick. The alveoli are as well lined with a thin film of moisture. Gases deliquesce in this water, making the improvidence path fifty-fifty smaller.

The ventilation of the lungs and the blood menses through the surrounding capillaries mean gases are being removed continually, and steep concentration gradients are set up for gases to diffuse.