The Importance of Oxygen in Animals
Oxygen is essential to all animals. Cellular respiration, the process that makes energy , called ATP, for the body, cannot occur without oxygen. "If you do not have oxygen, new electrons with lots of energy cannot enter the cycle, and you will not produce energy aerobically" [1]. Without oxygen, we would not be able to make water. Oxygen is an electron acceptor, and at the end of the electron transport chain it accepts two electrons and two hydrogen ions to become water. [2]. The electron transport chain is located in the cristae of the mitochondria. The diagram below shows how we would not be able to produce energy or water without oxygen.
The Lungs and "Passageway"First, air is inhaled through the nasal or oral cavity. Then, the trachea, or windpipe, leads the inhaled air into the bronchi, which are tubular branches. These bronchial tubes divide into smaller pieces called the bronchiole, which end in the alveoli. This is where gas exchange occurs. The diaphragm plays a major role in breathing. When you breathe in, it contracts downward, allowing air to enter the lungs. When you exhale, it relaxes upwards, allowing the lungs to deflate and release carbon dioxide.
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Gas ExchangeGas exchange is the entering of oxygen from the lungs to the bloodstream, and the exiting of carbon dioxide from the bloodstream to the lungs. Gas exchange occurs through diffusion. There is lower oxygen concentration in the blood in the capillaries than the air just inhaled, therefore the oxygen from the air diffuses into the capillaries. There is more carbon dioxide in the capillaries than the air, therefore the carbon dioxide diffuses out into the alveoli where it is exhaled. [3].
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What is Different in the Armadillo?
Armadillos breathe the same way humans do except one thing is very different...
Armadillos have a very low need of oxygen. The armadillo has one amazing capability: It is able to store enough oxygen to allow it to stop breathing for up to six minutes! They do this by storing air in the trachea and wide bronchus. |