A Brief Note On Respiratory System

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The respiratory system is essential for life as it allows gas exchange in organisms. Respiratory systems are not all the same though; an organism’s respiratory system is typically unique to the environment they are living in. Along with this movement is another factor that affects the type of respiratory system in an animal. Gills for example allow fish and other gilled animals to take in oxygen from the water, but sharks gills are different from a fish’s gills. Sharks gills do not push water through automatically like that of a fish so they have to keep swimming in order to breathe (Raven, 2011). This shows diversity in respiratory systems and how different animals use their own methods for obtaining oxygen.
The two organisms that will be discussed in this paper are the Common frog and the Rainbow trout. Although Frogs evolved from fishes their respiratory system is quite different and allows them to dwell on land. For this reason the paper before you will be examining each respiratory system individually and then comparing them on a broader scale. The broader scale will show the overall difference between a Common frogs respiratory system and a Rainbow trout’s respiratory system.
First, some background information on the Common Frog or Rana temporaria. The Common frog, besides having to evolve a respiratory system suited for land, it also had to develop legs (Raven, 2011). Legs were an important adaption; it gave the frog much more mobility on land. Along with developing legs another evolutionary change they had to go through to live on land was reproduction. A Common frog births its eggs inside a shallow water source (Dabagyan, 1991). By doing so the eggs are kept moist and drying out is prevented. Also in the early stages of...

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... difference shows how an animal can only survive in an environment where its respiratory system works.
The respiratory system in the Rainbow trout is very simple and consists of gills like most other fish in the ocean. On the other hand the Common frog has a little more complex system that allows it to receive oxygen from both the lungs and the skin (Krough, 2012). The difference between the Common frog and the Rainbow trout shows that respiratory systems are very different and tend to relate to the animals surroundings activity. The overall function of the respiratory system is to allow for gas exchange in an organism. Regardless of what respiratory system the animal contains its overall goal is the same. From lungs to gills to breathing through its skin, respiratory systems are all a matter of being able to breathe in the environment the animal is living within.

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