Secondary 2 Biology First Edition

Unit 4 Respiration

4.1 The human respiratory system – Page 43

1. Write a sentence to describe the function of each of these parts of the human respiratory
system.
a. trachea b. bronchus
a. The trachea carries air from the nose and mouth down to the lungs, and from the lungs
back into the nose and mouth.
b. A bronchus is one of the two branches of the trachea, which carry air into and out of
the left and right lungs.

Page 44

1. Name the red pigment inside red blood cells that helps to carry oxygen.
Haemoglobin
2. Name the large blood vessel that carries blood from the heart to the lungs.
Pulmonary artery
3. Using what you know about particle theory, explain how oxygen diffuses from an air sac
into the blood.
Oxygen particles (molecules) are in constant motion. They move about randomly, bumping
into each other and other particles and bouncing off. Some of the oxygen molecules inside
the air sacs will bounce into the wall of the air sac and capillary and travel through to the
other side.
4. The walls of the air sacs and the capillaries are both very thin. Suggest how this helps gas
exchange to take place quickly.
The oxygen particles do not have very far to travel to get from the air sac into the blood,
so this does not take as long as it would if the walls were thicker.

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4.2 Gas exchange

Questions – Page 45

A 1 Describe your observations in each dish.

-------
A 2 The holes you made in the jelly represent the air sacs in the lungs.
The coloured dye represents oxygen in the air sacs.
Explain how your observations help to show what happens to oxygen in the lungs.
The dye has diffused out of the holes and into the jelly, just as oxygen diffuses out of the
air sacs and into the blood.
A 3 The total volume of the liquid in the 8 large holes is the same as the total volume in the
32 small holes. Use your results to explain why it is better to have a lot of very tiny air sacs
in your lungs, rather than a few big ones.
The dye has diffused more quickly into the jelly where there were lots of small holes, even
though the total volume of the dye was the same. In a similar way, oxygen will diffuse
more quickly into the blood when there are lots of small air sacs than if there were just a
few large ones.

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4.3 Aerobic respiration – Page 46

1. Name the two new substances that are made when glucose reacts with oxygen inside a cell.
Water and carbon dioxide
2. Use what you know about digestion and the human circulatory system to describe how
glucose gets to a cell in a muscle.
Glucose is produced when starch is digested inside the digestive system. It is absorbed into
the blood through the walls of the small intestine. The glucose is carried dissolved in the
blood plasma. The blood carries it to the heart in the vena cava. The heart pumps it out to
the lungs. The blood travels back to the heart, then out in the aorta, which eventually splits
into capillaries that deliver it to the muscles.
3. Use what you know about gas exchange and the human circulatory system to describe how
oxygen gets to a cell in a muscle.
Oxygen diffuses into the capillaries from the air sacs in the lungs. It diffuses into red blood
cells where it combines with haemoglobin to form oxyhaemoglobin. Then the blood flows
along the pulmonary vein to the heart, and is pumped out through the aorta, which
eventually splits into capillaries that deliver it to the muscles.
4. Explain the difference between respiration and breathing.
Respiration is a chemical reaction that happens inside all living cells. Glucose combines
with oxygen, producing water and carbon dioxide and releasing energy in a form that the
cell can use.
Breathing is the way in which muscles contract and relax to move air into and out of the
lungs.
5. Which are the hottest parts in the photograph? How can you tell?
The camel is the hottest and then the vegetation.
6. Explain why these parts are hotter than their surroundings.
Both the camel and the vegetation are releasing heat energy because they are respiring.
(The camel is hotter than the vegetation because it is respiring faster and releasing more
heat energy.)

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Activity 4.3 Respiring peas – Page 47

A 1 What was the variable that you changed in this experiment?

Whether the peas were alive or dead

A 2 What was the variable that you measured in this experiment?

The change in temperature

A 3 State two variables that you kept the same in this experiment.

For examples: the mass of peas; the size of the container; the insulation around the container; the
temperature of the environment.

A 4 Suggest an explanation for the results that you obtained.

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The living peas were respiring. Glucose inside their cells was being changed to water and carbon
dioxide. Some of the energy from the glucose was transferred to heat energy, which made the
temperature increase. This did not happen in the dead peas.

4.4 Keeping fit – Page 48

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Page 49

1. Explain why each of the effects described in the bullet points above (below) would make it
more difficult to do energetic exercise.
• The extra mass of their body means that more energy is needed to move it around
• The heart has to work much harder to push blood around the larger body.
• The space inside the arteries may get narrower, because fat deposits build up inside
them

Keys:

With extra body mass, more energy is needed to move it around. This means more
respiration is required to provide that energy. So muscles need more oxygen and glucose,
and the heart and lungs have to work harder to supply them.
If the heart has to work harder, this makes it less likely that – even when it is
working as hard as it can – it will be able to supply oxygen and glucose to the muscles as
fast as they require them.
Narrow arteries cannot carry as much blood as healthy arteries. This means that less
oxygen and glucose is transported to the muscles per minute. So muscles cannot respire as
quickly, and therefore do not have as much energy to use for contractor.
2. Explain why a professional sportsperson often has a diet that contains:
a. plenty of protein on most days
b. Carbohydrate (such as rice or pasta) just before a competition.

Keys:

a. Protein is needed to build new cells. This will help the sportsperson to develop
strong muscles and strong bones.

b. These foods contain starch. Starch is digested to produce glucose, which is used by
cells to provide energy in respiration.

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4.4.1 Cigarettes and health – Page 51

1. Explain why smokers find it very hard to give up smoking.
Nicotine is an addictive drug. It affects the brain, so that a person who has used it finds it
very difficult to stop.
2. Some people smoke low-tar-cigarettes. Discuss whether this is a good idea.
----- For examples, low-tar cigarettes are a good idea because they reduce the risk of getting
cancer. Low-tar cigarettes are a bad idea because they still have as much nicotine, carbon
monoxide and particulates, which will all have their own harmful effects. It would be better
to stop smoking completely.
3. Compare the appearance of the lung tissue in the two photographs on the previous page.
The normal lung tissue on the left has more, smaller air sacs than the one on the right. The
walls of the air sacs are thinner.
4. Most professional sportsmen and sportswomen do not smoke. Explain why.
Smoking would make it more difficult for them to perform at the top of their spot. Their
muscles would not get as much oxygen, so would not be able to work as efficiently as in a
non-smoker.

End of unit questions

4.1 Respiration is a chemical reaction that happens inside cells.

a. Copy and complete the word equation for respiration.
glucose + __________ —> carbon dioxide + _________
glucose + oxygen —> carbon dioxide + water
b. This reaction is known as aerobic respiration. Explain why it is described as
“aerobic”.
It uses oxygen from the air.
4.2 In each of these groups of statements, only one is correct. Choose the correct statement
and write down its letter.
a. A Every living cell respires.
B Only animal cells respire.
C The way in which plant cells respire is called photosynthesis.
b. A Expired (breathed out) air is carbon dioxide.

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B Expired air contains more carbon dioxide than inspired (breathed in ) air.
C Expired air contains more oxygen than inspired air.
c. A Respiration means moving your muscles to draw air into the lungs.
B Respiration means the diffusion of gases between the air sacs and the blood.
C Respiration means the release of energy from glucose, inside cells.
Keys:
a. A
b. B
c. C

4.3 The diagram shows an air sac and a blood capillary.

a. Copy the diagram. Label:

• the blood capillary
• the wall of the air sac.
b. Draw two red blood cells in the correct place on your diagram.
c. Draw an arrow to show the direction in which oxygen diffuses. Label your
arrow O.
d. Draw another arrow to show the direction in which carbon dioxide diffuses.
Label your arrow C.

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e. The blood leaving the lungs in the capillary travels to another blood vessel and
then to the heart. What are the name of the blood vessel and the part of the heart
it will first enter?
Pulmonary vein, left atrium
4.4 Emile did an experiment to compare the rate of respiration in woodlice (small
crustaceans) and maggots (the larvae of houseflies). The diagram shows how he set up his
experiment.
Limewater is a clear liquid. It goes cloudy when carbon dioxide is present.

a. Suggest why Emile used four tubes in his experiment, rather than two.
To make his results more reliable. He could add up the two results for each pair of tubes
and divide by two to find a mean result.
b. Describe three variables that Emile needed to keep the same in his experiment.

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The temperature; the mass of animals in each tube; the volume of limewater in each tube;
the size of each tube; the height of the gauze above the limewater.
c. Emile timed how long it took for the limewater to go cloudy in each tube. There are his
results.
A 6 minutes
B 6 ½ minutes
C 8 ½ minutes
D 9 ½ minutes
Draw a results table and write in Emile’s results.
Keys:

Test tube A B C D
Time 6 minutes 6 ½ minutes 8 ½ minutes 9 ½ minutes

d. Write a conclusion that Emile can make from his results.

Maggots respire faster than woodlice.

Workbook

Exercise 4.1 A model of the human respiratory system

The diagram shows a simple model of the human respiratory system.

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1. Suggest which parts of the model represent each of these parts of the body.
the lungs ----------------------------------------------------------------
the diaphragm ----------------------------------------------------------
the trachea --------------------------------------------------------------
the rib cage -------------------------------------------------------------
Keys:
the lungs – balloons
the diaphragm – stretchy rubber
the trachea – glass tube
the rib cage – bell jar
2. a. What happens to the space inside the bell jar when the stretchy rubber is pulled
downwards?
_____________________________________________________________________
b. Complete this sentence about gas pressure:
The more space a gas has, the ____________ its pressure is.
c. What happens to the pressure of the air inside the bell jar when the stretchy rubber is
pulled downwards?
_____________________________________________________________________
Keys:
a. It gets larger.
b. The more space a gas has, the lower its pressure is.
c. It gets lower.
3. When the stretchy rubber is pulled downwards, the balloons inflate.
Here is some more information about gases and pressure.
• The pressure of the air outside the bell jar does not change when the stretchy
rubber is pulled downwards.
• Gases flow from a high-pressure area to a low-pressure area.

Use this information, and your answers to 2a, b and c, to explain why the balloons
inflate when the stretchy rubber is pulled downwards.

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Keys:

When the rubber is pulled downwards, the space inside the jar gets larger. This reduces
the air pressure inside the jar. Air moves into the jar from the higher-pressure air outside
the jar. The only way in is down the glass tube and into the balloons, so they inflate.

Exercise 4.2 Lung surface area and body mass

The table shows the body mass of six mammals. It also shows the total surface area of the air sacs
in their lungs.

Mammal Body mass / g Total surface area of air sacs/m2

human 80000 70
mouse 20 0.1
rabbit 4000 8
rat 300 0.8
sheep 68000 60.
fox 20000 40

1. The entries in the table are not in a very helpful order.

Complete the table below by reorganizing the entries in a way that makes it easier to see
any patterns in the data.
Keys:
In order of either decreasing or increasing body mass
Total surface area of air
Mammal Body mass / g
sacs / m2
human 80 000 70
sheep 68 000 60
fox 20 000 40
rabbit 4 000 8
rat 300 0.8
mouse 20 0.1

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2. Describe the relationship between body mass and total surface area of the air sacs.
The larger the body mass, the larger the total surface area of the air sacs.
3. Suggest an explanation for the relationship you have described.
The larger an animal is, the more oxygen it will need, because it will contain more cells
that are all respiring and using up oxygen. Having a larger surface area of air sacs enables
more oxygen to diffuse into the body at the same time, which will help to supply the
demands of the respiring cells.

Exercise 4.3 An investigation using hydrogencarbonate indicator – Page 34

Hydrogencarbonate indicator changes colour according to how much carbon dioxide there is init.

• The indicator is purple when there is no carbon dioxide.

• The indicator is red when there is a low concentration of carbon dioxide.
• The indicator is yellow when there is a high concentration of carbon dioxide.

Kushi set up four boiling tubes like this:

Kushi recorded the colour of the indicator in each tube at the start of her experiment. Then she
left the tubes in the laboratory for two hours, and recorded the colour again.

This is what she wrote down

A red yellow B red red

C red yellow D red red

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1. Suggest why Kushi used a gauze platform in each tube.

This allowed gases to move from the organisms to the indicator, but stopped the organisms
from falling into the indicator.
2. Suggest why Kushi put a bung in each tube.
This made sure that gases produced by the organisms stayed inside the tube, where they
would affect the indicator.
3. Describe two variables that Kushi kept the same in her experiment.
The size of the test tubes; the volume of hydrogencarbonate indicator; the height of the
platform above the indicator; the mass of the organisms or beads used in each tube.
4. Construct a result table in the space below, and complete it to show Kushi’s results.
For example
Tube contents Colour of indicator at start Final colour of indicator
A live maggots red yellow
B dead seeds red red
C live germinating seeds red yellow
D plastic beads red red

5. Explain Kushi’s results.

At the start, the indicator in all the tubes was red. This was because there is a small amount
of carbon dioxide in the air.
In tubes A and C, the magggots and germinating seeds respired. They produced carbon
dioxide, which made the indicator turn yellow.
In tubes B and D there were no living organisms so no respiration took place. There was
no change in the quantity of carbon dioxide in the air inside the tubes, so the indicator did
not change colour.
6. a. Predict the result that Kushi would obtain if she set up another tube containing some
little living green plants.
The indicator would go purple.
b. Explain your prediction.
The plants would photosynthesise. They would use up carbon dioxide from the air, so
there would be no carbon dioxide in it.

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7. Plant an experiment, using the apparatus that Kushi used, to find the answer to this
question:
Do bean seeds respire faster than pea seeds?
Remember to think about the variable you will change, the variables you will keep constant,
and the variable you will measure.

The variable to change is the type of seeds – whether they are beans or peas. There is no need
to have any dead seeds or plastic beads; the tubes need to contain only live beans and live
peas.

For example; two identical tubes containing live beans, and another two containing live peas.

The variable to keep constant include the total mass of the seeds, the amount of water given
to the seeds when they are soaked; the volume and type of indicator solution used; the size of
the test tubes; the temperature. ----

The variable that will be measured is either the time taken for the indicator to reach a
particular shade of yellow, or the colour of the indicator after a certain amount of time.

Exercise 4.4 Recording breathing rate and depth – Page 38

Pietro used a machine to measure his breathing rate. He breathed in and out of the machine. The
machine recorded the volume of air he breathed in and out with each breath, for one minute.

Pietro collected a set of results when he was sitting still, and another set when he was running on
the spot.

Then he printed out the results that the machine recorded. This is what they looked like;

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1. How many breaths did Pietro take in one minute when he was resting?
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2. a. Use the graph to work out the volumes of air breathed in with each of the first ten breaths
that Pietro took when he was resting. Write them down.
0.50, 0.50, 0.40, 0.40, 0.45, 0.45, 0.40, 0.50, 0.45, 0.45
b. Calculate the mean volume of these ten breaths.
0.45 dm3
3. How many breaths did Pietro take in one minute when he was running?
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4. a. Use the graph to work out the volumes of air breathed in with each of the first ten breaths
that Pietro took when he was running. Write them down.
1.15, 1.15, 1.10, 1.00, 1.05, 1.20, 1.05, 1.15, 1.30, 1.40
b. Calculate the mean volume of these ten breaths.
1.15 dm3
5. Explain the reasons for the differences in Pietro’s breathing when he was resting and when he
was running.

When Pietro was running, his muscle cells respired faster, to supply enough energy for the
muscles to contract quickly, over and over again. He breathed more quickly and more deeply
to supply extra oxygen so the muscle cells could respire faster.

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Exercise 4.5 Smoking statistics

The table shows the percentage of women and men who were smokers in ten countries in 2009.

1. If your country is not listed in the table, use the internet to find the data for it.
If your country is listed, find data for another country that you are interested in.
Country
Percentage of women who smoked
Percentage of men who smoked
-------
2. On the girl below, construct a bar chart to display the data in the table, and the other data
that you have found.

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x-axis – “Country”, with individual bars labelled with the nature of the country

y-axis – “Percentage of people who smoked”

Scale – y-axis running from 0 to at least 65 in sensible steps (e.g in 5s or 10 s)

Each bar drawn carefully with a ruler, all the same width and correctly plotted.

3. a. In which country did the greatest percentage of women smoke in 2009?

Chile
b. In which country did the greatest percentage of men smoke in 2009?
Indonesia
c. In which country was there the biggest difference in the percentage of women who
smoked, and the percentage of men who smoked?
Indonesia
*******

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