We explain what animal respiration is and what this process consists of. Also, the types of animal respiration that exist and examples.
What is animal respiration?
When we talk about animal respiration, we mean to the metabolic mechanism of living beings in the animal kingdom consisting of a gas exchange with the environment, in which oxygen (O2) is introduced into the body and carbon dioxide (CO2) is expelled. This process is common to all known animals, from the unicellular to the higher ones and, of course, also to the human being, although not through the same body systems, nor in the same vital environments.
Breathe, in any way, consists of acquiring oxygen and eliminating carbon dioxide since the first gas is vital for processing sugars and obtaining biochemical energy to live, and the second gas is a byproduct of said reaction that must be eliminated as it is harmful to the body. So all animals do it: some directly from the air, like humans and dogs; others through water, like fish and tadpoles.
Once oxygen enters the body as a result of animal respiration, the circulatory system is responsible for distributing it throughout the body, in order to feed the various biological tissues that need it. In this sense, the respiratory and cardiovascular systems are connected, which can be very different depending on the species of animal we are referring to.
Types of animal respiration
There are various methods for breathing, according to the animal species and its mechanisms obtained over centuries of evolution. These mechanisms are:
- Skin respiration As its name indicates, it is carried out through the skin. Some animals such as annelids (such as earthworms) and amphibians (such as frogs), especially those that live in humid environments, have thin, specialized skin, capable of capturing the desired gases from the air or water and transporting them. directly to the capillary system (blood vessels), releasing carbon dioxide in the same way.
- Gill respiration. Typical of aquatic or underwater animals, that is, they never leave the water and obtain the oxygen necessary to live from it. To do this, they have gills, complex organs with thin walls and abundant blood vessels, which are in perpetual contact with the liquid (unlike the lungs, which are inside the body) and covered with soft, fragile and porous tissues. As water passes through them, oxygen is filtered and carbon dioxide is released, which is why many fish must sleep in water currents or in constant movement in order to breathe.
- Tracheal breathing Typical of insects and arachnids. Tracheas are understood to be a system of tubes that connect the inside of the animal with the outside, through holes called stigmata. Air penetrates through them and, as the tubes become narrower, oxygen enters the cells and the hemolymph (the blood of insects), while carbon dioxide is discarded.
- Lung breathing. Common to humans, mammals, birds, and most reptiles and amphibians, this mode of breathing works on air only, and requires internal organs called lungs, which operate like an inflatable sac: they expand when air enters. air and deflates when it comes out. Inside there is a structure full of capillaries called alveoli, where gas exchange occurs. Being inside the body, the lungs are connected to the outside through the trachea, which then connects to the nose or mouth, and which has a series of filters along the way to retain impurities from the air.
Continue with: Types of breathing
References
- “Animal respiration” in EcuRed, Knowledge with everyone and for everyone.
- “Respiration in animals” by Prof. Graciela Ortega Miranda in the ABC Color newspaper.
- “Breath” in Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia.
