Gas Exchange: The Diving Beetle

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Gas Exchange
All living organisms need to carry out cellular respiration (the breaking down of glucose to release energy), and cellular respiration creates a constant demand for oxygen and a need to omit carbon dioxide gas, which requires the system of gas exchange. Gas exchange is a physical process involving the movement of respiratory gases across a membrane. The respiratory gases (carbon dioxide and oxygen) are able to cross gas exchange membranes by diffusion because a concentration gradient exists across the gas exchange surface. In this report, the gas exchange system across three distinct groups of animals will be explained: insects, fish and mammals.
Regardless of the type of organism involved, the surface of the gas exchange system …show more content…

Their abdomen and legs are yellow coloured, and their back and wing cases are dark-coloured. As the diving beetle does not have gills, it uses the structural adaptation of carrying air under their wings to ensure survival in this habitat. They trap the air via the spiracles which open under their wings when they resurface. As the submerged insect respires, the oxygen is steadily used up and the insect is required to resurface to repeat the process of replenishing the oxygen. Because of carrying air under its wings, it has a visible bubble of air outside its body. The oxygen from the trapped air enters the spiracles, the trapped air also acts as a diffusion gill and oxygen from the water diffuses into the air bubble, replacing the used oxygen. The concentration gradient is maintained by the oxygen use (metabolism) in the tissues, which results in lowering the oxygen level in the bubble. Since the diving beetle is buoyant, when they sense that the oxygen supply from the air bubble is coming to an end, they are behaviourally adapted to stop swimming down, which will cause the insect to naturally float backwards to the surface. They also have the behavioural adaptation of positioning themselves underwater to ensure that it is their rear end which resurfaces first, instead of their head. As the opening of the wings …show more content…

Fish carry out gas exchange through the diffusion of dissolved respiratory gases across gill surfaces in direct contact with water. Gills are membrane structures consisting of suspended and flexible bony structures with numerous tissue fold and filaments, located in the cavities on either side of the mouth, as shown on the diagram below. Each gill filament is further divided into lamella with even smaller folds, resulting in greatly increasing the surface area. Gills also have thin membranes-making it easier for the respiratory gases to be exchanged between the blood and the water by diffusion as the water flows past the gills, and the gills contain a high number of blood capillaries. Bony fish, such as the snapper (lutjanus campechanus) have four pairs of gills, each supported by a bony arch. The gill cover is involved in ventilating the gills. Cartilaginous fish (e.g. sharks) have five/six pairs of gills. Water enters through the mouth and spiracle and exits via the gill slits (there is no gill cover). Fish facilitate gas exchange by ventilating the gill

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