PLANT AND ANIMAL

ORGAN SYSTEMS
AND THEIR
FUNCTIONS
1.2 GAS EXCHANGE AND ITS
CONTROL
LEARNING COMPETENCY

Compare and contrast gas exchange in

plants and animals.
 What Is Respiration?
• In biology, respiration means different
things.

• Cellular Respiration is the release of

energy from the breakdown of food in the
presence of oxygen (occurs in the?????)

• Atthe organism level, respiration is the

process of gas exchange—the release of
carbon dioxide and the uptake of oxygen
that occurs between RBCs and alveoli

• Breathing is the actual mechanical intake

of air.
Specialized Respiratory Organs/System
1. GILLS – are highly
folded outgrowths that
contain blood vessel and
covered with a thin
epithelial layer.

2. TRACHEAL SYSTEM –
consists of system of tubes
called the trachea and
tracheoles which transport
air from the spiracles to
and from cells
• Lungs are sealed in
pleural membranes
inside the chest
cavity.

• At the bottom of
the cavity is a large,
flat muscle known
as the diaphragm.
• During inhalation, the
diaphragm contracts and the
rib cage rises up.
• This expands the volume of
the chest cavity.
• The chest cavity is sealed, so
this creates a partial vacuum
inside the cavity.
• Atmospheric pressure fills
the lungs as air rushes into
the breathing passages.
• Often exhaling is a
passive event.
• When the rib cage
lowers and the
diaphragm relaxes,
pressure in the chest
cavity is greater than
atmospheric pressure.
• Air is pushed out of the
lungs.
 GASEOUS
EXCHANGE AND
CONTROL IN
MAMMALS
 Circulation and Gas Exchange
•Gasexchange at the lungs and in the body cells
moves oxygen into cells and carbon dioxide out.
 Gas exchange
• Air entering the lungs
contains more oxygen
and less carbon dioxide
than the blood that
flows in the pulmonary
capillaries.
Oxygen transport

• Hemoglobin binds to
oxygen that diffuses
into the blood
stream.
Carbon dioxide transport
• Carbon dioxide can
dissolve in plasma, and
about 70% forms
bicarbonate ions.
• Some carbon dioxide
can bind to
hemoglobin for
transport.
ORGANS OF THE
RESPIRATORY
SYSTEM
Respiratory System of mammals

•The respiratory system

of mammals includes
lungs and other
structures which help
to drive gas in and out
of the lung.
 Nasal cavity
• Nasal/nose hair
• Filtering foreign particles e.g. dust
from entering the nasal cavity
• Collecting moisture
• Mucous membrane
• Contain microvasculature/micro
vessels to warm the absorbed air
• Secrete slime to moisture the air, and
trap dust and
bacteria
• Olfactory cells
• Latin olfacere ‘to smell’ + adjective –
ory
• Contain nerve endings
• Reception of sensory stimuli caused
by odours
 Pharynx
• Greek phárynx ‘throat’
• connects nasal cavity,
mouth cavity, middle
ear, larynx and
esophagus
• acts as the common
passage for food and
gases.
 Larynx
• from Greek larynx "the
upper windpipe"

• Epiglottis is a flap-like
structure that covers the
opening of larynx when
swallowing to prevent
food or liquids from
entering the trachea.
 Larynx
• Vocal cords are a pair
of fibrous sheets of
tissue with gaps that
produce sounds.
 Trachea and Bronchus
• Trachea from Greek
τραχεῖα “windpipe”
• Bronchus from Latin
bronchus, from Greek
βρόγχος (brónkhos)
"wind pipe“.
• No gas exchange occurring
here.
• Part of the conducting
zone.
• C-shape cartilage rings
• Supporting structures
which open up the lumen
of the trachea to conduct
air
• Mucous membrane
• Secrete mucus to trap dust
and germs
• Possesses cilia that lash
towards the larynx,
driving the mucus out of
the body to become
phlegm.
 Lungs
•Cone shaped organ of
respiration

•two lobes for the left

lungs, three lobes for
the right lungs
Respiratory bronchioles and alveolar ducts

•Bronchus divides into

bronchioles.
•Alveolar ducts
connect bronchioles
to the alveoli.
•Bronchioles and
alveolar ducts have no
cartilage at all.
•Gaseous exchange
also takes place here.
 Alveoli
• Made up of a single
layer of epithelial cells
• Surrounded by a
network of blood
capillaries and
elastic fibre.
• The main site of
gaseous exchange
 Gas exchange in the lungs
• Inhaled air contains a high concentration of oxygen
molecules.
• The oxygen partial pressure in the alveoli (13.3 kPa) is much
higher than the oxygen partial pressure in the alveolar blood
capillaries (5.3 kPa).
• The oxygen molecules diffuse into the blood capillaries.
 Transportation of oxygen in the blood
• Oxygen combine with
hemoglobin in the red blood
cells to form oxy-hemoglobin.
Hb + O2 HbO2
• Oxyhaemoglobin is transport
to other parts of the body.
 Structure of Hemoglobin
• Form by four
polypeptides of two
different type.
• Each polypeptide contain
a Heme group with an
Fe2+.
• The Heme group can
combine with
oxygen.
• Each haemoglobin
can carry 4 oxygen.
 ADAPTATIONS OF
THE ALVEOLI TO
THE EXCHANGE OF
GASES
Large surface area

• Alveoli provide an
extremely large
surface area for
the exchange of
gases.
 Extensive blood capillary network
• The alveoli are
surrounded by a
network of blood
capillary.

• Oxygen is brought away

rapidly through
diffusion and blood
flow, thus promoting
the exchange of gases.
 Thin walls
• The alveolar wall and
the capillary wall are
only made up of a
single layer of cells.
• They share a basal
lamina.
• Their total thickness
of about 0.0005
mm, therefore gases
can diffuse through
easily.
 GASEOUS
EXCHANGE IN
PLANT
Gas exchange by diffusion through stomata
and lenticels.
 Stomata
• A stoma is a pore, found in the
epidermis of leaves, stems, and other
organs, that facilitates gas exchange.
• Stomata are bordered by specialized
parenchyma cells called guard cells
that regulate the size of the stomatal
opening.
• Most of the vascular plants,
including angiosperms,
gymnosperms, ferns etc. possess
stomata on the epidermis of the
leaves or green young stem.
Function of stomata

• The exchange of carbon

dioxide and oxygen gas,
and the loss of water
vapour occur at stomata.
• It is estimated that about 90%
of the exchange of gases
between the plant body and
the external environment
occurs at the stomata.
 Stomata on the leaves

• Most dicotyledons plants,

such as sunflower, usually
have more stomata on the
lower epidermis than the
upper epidermis.
• Most monocotyledons plants,
such as wheat, the numbers
of stomata on the upper and
lower epidermis are about the
same.
 Gas exchange in the leaf
• The stomata are connected or
linked with the spaces formed
between the loosely arranged
mesophyll cells.

• Air moves into the leaf through the

stomata, then filled the air spaces
and come into contact with the
surfaces of the mesophyll cells and
other cells.

• The surfaces of these cells are always

kept moist to facilitate the exchange of
gases.
Gaseous exchange in the
stem
• Stomata can also be found on
young and tender stem.
stom
a
• The stem of woody plants has no
stoma but they have lenticels.
• From Latin lens ‘lentil’
 Lenticels

• A lenticel is a porous tissue

consisting of cells with large
intercellular spaces in the
periderm of woody stems
and roots of dicotyledonous
flowering plants.
 Ventilation in the stem of
perennial woody plants
• In perennial woody plants, most of the stem are lignified dead
cells, hence oxygen is not required.
• Therefore, aeration or ventilation between the lenticels and the
spaces between the cells is enough.
Drawing of a sector
of a cross section
through a 5-year
old twig from a
basswood tree
(Tilia).
 Gas exchange in the roots
• The root hairs of roots and the epidermis
of young roots can carry out exchange of
gases with the air in the soil.
• Root hair increases the surface area.
• Gas exchange in roots requires the soil to
be moist.
 Diffusion of air within the plant body
• The spaces between the cells
in a plant are filled with
gases.

• These spaces are

interconnected and gases are
able to diffuse to every part of
the plant body through these
air spaces.