BSC 2011- General Biology II Peer-Led Team Learning

Workshop #10 Chapter 34

Cardiovascular and Respiratory Systems

1. Discuss the circulatory system of a grasshopper, earthworm, fish, amphibian, and a mammal. Use Figure 34.3 and Figure 34.4 for
reference.

2. Fish have a 2-chambered heart in which oxygenated and deoxygenated blood never mix. Why the 3-chambered heart of an
amphibian is considered an improvement even though their oxygenated and deoxygenated blood mix?

3. Create a flow chart that summarizes the path of blood flow through the human heart and vessels. Begin with blood entering the right
atrium via the superior vena cava and the inferior vena cava. As you follow the blood through each chamber, the lungs, and then out of
the body, include the structures of the heart the blood passes through and their function.

SVC + IVC -> Right atrium -> tricuspid AV valve -> right ventricle -> pulmonary semilunar valve -> pulmonary trunk -> pulmonary
arteries -> lungs (dumps CO2, and picks up O2) -> pulmonary veins -> left atrium -> bicuspid/ mitral AV valves -> left ventricle ->
aortic semilunar valve -> aorta -> body -> SVC +IVC

Functions:

- Ventricles:
o Push blood out
o Create pressure (LV creates more pressure b/c blood is going to the body)
- Valves
o Prevents backflow

4. Review Figure 34.13 and Figure 34.14 to understand the components of blood. Blood is a homogeneous mixture, if a sample of blood
were centrifuged, what layers would be created? Describe the components of each layer, and their function. Discuss the differentiation of
blood cells in bone marrow.

Bone marrow (hemopoietic cells) -> lymphoid cells -> WBC

è Myeloid cells -> RBC

5. Trace the path of air during inhalation in humans. Mark the structures the air passes through on its way to the alveoli and back out.

Air -> nose + mouth -> pharynx -> larynx -> trachea -> bronchi -> bronchioles -> alveoli -> capillaries

6. a.) What is the role of the diaphragm? Why is the diaphragm considered an important adaptation in vertebrates?

b.) Once at the alveoli, how does the exchange take place between CO2 and O2?

7. Explain how the gas exchange systems differ between grasshoppers, fish, and humans. Which of the organisms listed below has the
most efficient respiratory organs? Explain. Discuss the result of the increase in respiratory efficiency, compare a small primary
consumer organisms against a top predator.

Grasshopper Fish Humans

- air sacs - gills - lungs
- tracheae (tubes that branch through their - countercurrent exchange (within gill - Uniform pull (new and old air is mixed in
bodies) filament) lungs)

- simple diffusion
- external openings/ spiricles -blood vessels - blood vessels

8. Below is an example of a Bohr shift. The following graph shows dissociation curves for hemoglobin at two different pH values.
a.) Explain the significance of these two curves.
b.) During exercise, the muscles produce a lot of CO2, which lowers the pH of the
surrounding blood, they also release a lot of heat. How are these two factors related to
the unloading of oxygen during exercise?