LESSON BREATHING AND EXCHANGE

1 OF GASES

OBJECTIVES:

At the end of the lesson, the learners shall be able to:

K: compare and contrast plant and animal gas exchange
S: identify the structures and functions of the respiratory
system in plants and animals
A: recognize the importance of gas exchange to plants
and animals’ way of life

LEARNING COMPETENCY:

Compare and contrast the following processes in plants

and animals: reproduction, development, nutrition, gas
exchange, transport/circulation, regulation of body
fluids, chemical and nervous control, immune systems,
and sensory and motor mechanisms
(STEM_BIO11/12-IVa-h-1)

I. WHAT HAPPENED
PRE-ACTIVITY

BREATHING EXERCISE

Procedure:
1. Close your mouth and then press your nose.
2. Hold your breath for a few seconds.
3. Run in place for 30 seconds. Then, sit down and count the number
of breaths you take.

Guide questions:
1. How did you feel after doing the activity?
2. What air did you breathe in and breathe out?
3. What will happen to our body if the air cannot enter?

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II. WHAT I NEED TO KNOW

DISCUSSION

GAS EXCHANGE

All living organisms obtain energy by metabolizing compounds such as

carbohydrates. The process by which organisms require oxygen for
metabolism is called respiration. Carbon dioxide gas is produced and must be
removed from the body of animals. In plants, carbon dioxide, a waste product
of respiration, is needed for photosynthesis. Carbon dioxide must be available
to plant cells, and oxygen gas must be removed. Animals have to take in
oxygen and expel carbon dioxde in order to survive.
Gas exchange is one of the essential prerequisites for life to continue.
Diffusion across a moist membrane is the basic mechanism of gas exchange.
Diffusion is a process by which molecules move from an area of higher
concentration to an area of lower concentration in the direction following a
concentration gradient. In living organisms, molecules move across cell
membranes which are moistened by fluid.

ANIMALS

In order to survive, animals need to take in oxygen and expel carbon

dioxide. Oxygen and carbon dioxide are two of the many gases found in the
environment which move by diffusion across moist membranes in animals.
Breathing is a mechanical process by which oxygen is taken in and carbon
dioxide is released. The exchange of gases through inhalation and exhalation
is called respiration.

Here are the ways in which animals obtain oxygen:

From the air or water

through the moist surface
directly into the body
(e.g., amoeba, flatworm)

Source: https://schoolbag.info/biology/living/197.html

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From the air or water
through a thin, moist
body wall of blood
vessels (e.g., earthworm)

Source: https://www.google.com/search?q=Skin+system++earthworms&client=firefox-b-
d&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiwharHu7nuAhURC6YKHUdzAIIQ_AUoAXoE
CBgQAw&biw=1047&bih=501#imgrc=BjXF5NNp0oHDOM

From the air through

spiracles (opening on
the thorax) or a tracheal
system to a system of
ducts to the tissues (e.g.,
insects)

Source: https://schoolbag.info/biology/living/197.html

From water through

moist gill surfaces to
blood vessels (e.g.,
fishes, amphibans)

Source: https://schoolbag.info/biology/living/197.html

From the air through

moist lungs surface to
blood vessels (e.g., land
snail, land vertebrate)

Source: https://schoolbag.info/biology/living/197.html

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Gas Exchange Systems

The respiratory system’s function is to exchange oxygen and carbon

dioxide between the air and the cells. In simple animals, exchange of gases
directly occurs with the environment, while in some animals like mammals,
breathing is done through the body's nasal passages. The general body
surface of most animals lacks sufficient area to exchange gases for the whole
organism. The solution is a respiratory organ that is extensively folded or
branched, thereby enlarging the available surface area for gas exchange. Air
is a respiratory medium with plentiful O2. Water has much less oxygen and
greater density and viscosity, making gas exchange more challenging in water
than in air. The respiratory surfaces (organs) where gas exchange with the
respiratory medium occurs must be moist, thin, and large enough to supply the
whole body. The following are the various types of gas exchange systems used
by animals:

1. Skin system - The skin or the body surface system is also known as the
integumentary system. Animals that live in moist environments like worms and
amphibians used their moist body surface to breathe in oxygen. Capillaries or
tiny vessels lie just below the skin of worms to facilitate gas exchange between
the external environment and the circulatory system. The skin of frogs is made
up of very thin tissues, allowing smooth exchange of gases.

Source: https://www.brown.edu/Departments/Engineeri Source: http://earthwormresources.weebly.com/respiratory-

ng/Courses/En123/MuscleExp/Frog%20Respiration.htm system.html= 0CAIQjRxqFwoTCNCZpu_9rO4CFQAAAAAdAAAAABAD

2. Gills system - Fish and other aquatic animals use their gills to take up
the dissolved oxygen from water. Gills are thin tissue filaments that are highly
branched and folded. When water passes over the gills, the dissolved oxygen
in water rapidly diffuses across the thin membranes of the gills into the
bloodstream. On the other hand, carbon dioxide in the bloodstream of the
animals leaves through the gills.

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 Source: https://schoolbag.info/biology/living/198.html

3. Tracheal system - Insects,

such as grasshoppers and spiders,
use their tracheae to facilitate gas
exchange. Tracheae consist of air
tubes called spiracles forming
network in the bodies of insects.
Spiracles connect to the tubular
network allowing oxygen to pass
into the body and regulate the
diffusion of CO2 and water vapor.

4. Lung system - A pair of

organs divided into small chambers
filled with capillaries called lungs are
found inside the cavity of land
animals such as humans. The tube
that connects the nose and mouth to
the lungs is called trachea. The
trachea divides into two main
bronchi (singular: bronchus) (the left
and right) which further subdivides
into bronchioles. The tip of each
bronchiole is called alveolus (plural:
alveoli) wherein actual gas
exchange occurs. Lying flat at the
bottom of the chest cavity (under the
lungs) is the diaphragm, a large
muscle that aids in breathing by
moving up and down. The rib cage
encloses the lungs and protects the
respiratory organs and the heart. Air Source: https://www.google.com/search?q=lung+system+high+definition+imag

is inhaled through the nasal cavity e&tbm=isch&ved=2ahUKEwjCs_GxvL7uAhVC7ZQKHUvaAuEQ2-

cCegQIABAA&oq=lung+system+high+definition+image&gs_lcp=CgNpbWcQA1
and crosses the surfaces of the CE1_MBWNP98wFg6__zAWgAcAB4AIABAIgBAJIBAJgBFKABAaoBC2d3cy13aXota
W1nwAEB&sclient=img&ei=8ZgSYIL3I8La0wTLtIuIDg&bih=501&biw=1047&client=firefox-b-
mucous membrane. From the nasal d#imgrc=oWqHUwG81qrwLM

cavity,

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air passes through the pharynx and the larynx to the trachea. Particulates in
the air are removed in the nasal passages preventing damage to the trachea
and lungs.

When we breathe in or inhale, the diaphragm contracts and the ribs

move up making the size of the chest cavity larger, allowing for more space
and less air pressure inside the lungs. Air is pushed in from the outside where
there is higher pressure and is pushed into the lungs where there is lower air
pressure. When we breathe out or exhale, the diagphram relaxes and the ribs
and chest cavity return to their original place, decreasing the space and
increasing the air pressure inside the lungs. Air is pushed to the outside where
there is lower pressure.

PLANTS

Plants exchange their gases with the environment in a straightforward

way. In order to carry on photosynthesis, green plants need a supply of carbon
dioxide and a means of disposing oxygen. An abundant supply of carbon
dioxide must be present in the leaf of a plant and oxygen from photosynthesis
must be removed. Contrary to animals, plants do not have specialized organs
for gas exchange. In aquatic plants, water passes among the tissues providing
a medium for gas exchange, while in terrestrial plants, air enters the tissues and
the gases diffuse into the moisture bathing the internal cells. Each part of the
plant takes care of its own gas exchange needs. Diffusion is the only process
through which much needed oxygen is supplied to all the cells of the plants.
Diffusion occurs in leaves, roots, and stems.

Leaves
Plant leaf consists of stomata (singular: stoma) that allow gas exchange
between the surrounding air and the photosynthetic cells inside the leaf. These
stomata regulate CO2 uptake for photosynthesis and are the major avenues
for the evaporative loss of water. The term stoma refers to the stomatal pore
flanked by two guard cells, which regulate the opening and closing of the
pore.

Source: https://www.google.com/search?q=stomata+in+leaves&tbm=isch&ved=2ahUKEwiZxa2G0b7uAhUJEKYKHQl8CfAQ2-
cCegQIABAA&oq=stomata+in+leaves&gs_lcp=CgNpbWcQA1AAWABgvwNoAHAAeAGAAQCIAQCSAQCYAQSqAQtnd3Mtd2l6LWltZw&sclient=i
mg&ei=m64SYNmLG4mgmAWJ-KWADw&bih=501&biw=1047&client=firefox-b-d#imgrc=bC38b_sbs7bZ7M

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 In between the upper and lower epidermal layers of a leaf is a region
called the mesophyll (from the Greek words mesos: middle, phyll: leaf).
Mesophyll consists mainly of parenchyma cells specialized for photosynthesis.
There are two distinct areas of leaves: the palisade mesophyll consisting of one
or more layers of elongated parenchyma cells on the upper part of the leaf
and the spongy mesophyll below the palisade mesophyll. These parenchyma
cells are more loosely arranged, with a labyrinth of air spaces through which
CO2 and oxygen circulate around the cells and up to the palisade region. The
air spaces are particularly large in the vicinity of the stomata, where gas
exchange with the outside air occurs.

Source: Campbell et al. Biology, 8th edition

Roots and Stems

Roots

Plant roots take oxygen from the air

that is present in between the particles of
soil. Root hair, an extension of the root
epidermal cells, is in direct contact with the
soil. Oxygen diffuses in the root hair,
reaching all the other cells of the roots. It is
through the root hairs that only carbon
dioxide gets diffused into them and is
expelled from the roots of a plant.
Respiration in roots of the plant occurs by
diffusion of oxygen and carbon dioxide Source: https://www.jagranjosh.com/general-
knowledge/respiration-and-excretion-in-plants-1457092137-
through the root hairs. 1

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Stems
The hard stem of big plants and trees has lenticels in them. Lenticels are in the small
area of a bark. These cells are loosely placed, allowing gaseous exchange of
respiratory gases between air and living cells of the woody stem.

Source: https://www.jagranjosh.com/general-knowledge/respiration-and-excretion-in-plants-1457092137-1

Task 1: GAS EXCHANGE IN ANIMALS

Complete the following table that summarizes the structure and function
of respiratory system in different kinds of animals. Write your answers in your
notebook.
Organism Name of respiratory surface Description of process by
(organ) which gas exchange
occurs
Insect
Fish
Frog
Mammal

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Task 2: GAS EXCHANGE IN PLANTS

A. Label the following diagram of a stomata and answer the questions that
follow. Write your answers in your notebook.

B. Fill in the blanks with the correct word(s) to complete the sentences
below. Write your answers in your notebook.

In woody plants, gas exchange also takes place through small

broken parts in the cork layer called (1) _______________ on the stem.
(2)___________ is in direct contact with the soil where oxygen diffuses.

Respiration in roots of the plant occurs by (3) _________ of oxygen and

carbon dioxide through the root hairs.

III. WHAT I HAVE LEARNED

EVALUATION/POST-TEST

A. Venn Diagram. Compare and contrast plant and animal gas exchange.
Write your answers in your notebook. (5 points)

Plants Animals

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B. MULTIPLE CHOICE. Read and understand each item carefully. Then, write
the letter of your answer in your notebook.

1. Which of the following is not a structure for gas exchange in plants?

A. Stomata B. Lenticels C. Aerial root hairs D. Flowers

2. What group of vertebrates rely on gas exchange across the skin as well as
at the lungs to maintain sufficient blood oxygen levels?
A. Fish B. Reptile C. Amphibians D. Birds

3. What is the process by which molecules move from an area of higher

concentration to an area of lower concentration in the direction following a
concentration gradient?
A. Respiration B. Diffusion C. Ventilation D. Exhalation

4. Which of the following respiratory systems is not closely associated with a

blood supply?
A. The lung of vertebrate
B. The tracheal system of an insect
C. The gills of a fish
D. The skin of an earthworm

5. Which refers to the organs where gas exchange with the respiratory
medium occurs?
A. Respiratory surface
B. Respiratory medium
C. Respiratory system
D. Respiration