Respiration organ
Encyclopedia
Respiratory organs are used by most, or all, animals to exchange the gases necessary for their life function known as respiration
. These organs come in many forms, some of them apparently having independently evolved:
Respiration (physiology)
'In physiology, respiration is defined as the transport of oxygen from the outside air to the cells within tissues, and the transport of carbon dioxide in the opposite direction...
. These organs come in many forms, some of them apparently having independently evolved:
- skinSkin-Dermis:The dermis is the layer of skin beneath the epidermis that consists of connective tissue and cushions the body from stress and strain. The dermis is tightly connected to the epidermis by a basement membrane. It also harbors many Mechanoreceptors that provide the sense of touch and heat...
– some aquatic and small terrestrial animals (including some of the smallest spiderSpiderSpiders are air-breathing arthropods that have eight legs, and chelicerae with fangs that inject venom. They are the largest order of arachnids and rank seventh in total species diversity among all other groups of organisms...
s, earthworms and miteMiteMites, along with ticks, are small arthropods belonging to the subclass Acari and the class Arachnida. The scientific discipline devoted to the study of ticks and mites is called acarology.-Diversity and systematics:...
s) can breathe simply by exchanging gas through the surface of their body - gillGillA gill is a respiratory organ found in many aquatic organisms that extracts dissolved oxygen from water, afterward excreting carbon dioxide. The gills of some species such as hermit crabs have adapted to allow respiration on land provided they are kept moist...
– many aquatic like fishFishFish are a paraphyletic group of organisms that consist of all gill-bearing aquatic vertebrate animals that lack limbs with digits. Included in this definition are the living hagfish, lampreys, and cartilaginous and bony fish, as well as various extinct related groups...
, and a few smaller terrestrial, animals use gills to breathe. Even land animals can do this, as with isopods like the woodliceWoodlouseA woodlouse is a crustacean with a rigid, segmented, long exoskeleton and fourteen jointed limbs...
that probably can be found living under rocks in a yard. Gills are simply layers of tissue adapted specifically to gas exchange. - book lungBook lungA book lung is a type of respiration organ used for atmospheric gas exchange and is found in arachnids, such as scorpions and spiders. Each of these organs is found inside a ventral abdominal cavity and connects with the surroundings through a small opening. Book lungs are not related to the lungs...
– Some spiders, scorpionScorpionScorpions are predatory arthropod animals of the order Scorpiones within the class Arachnida. They have eight legs and are easily recognized by the pair of grasping claws and the narrow, segmented tail, often carried in a characteristic forward curve over the back, ending with a venomous stinger...
s, and other arthropodArthropodAn arthropod is an invertebrate animal having an exoskeleton , a segmented body, and jointed appendages. Arthropods are members of the phylum Arthropoda , and include the insects, arachnids, crustaceans, and others...
s still use primitive book lungs, essentially gills adapted for land use, in their respiration. These are simply tissue with many wrinkles to increase their surface area. - Branchiostegal lungBranchiostegal lungA branchiostegal lung is a respiration organ used by some air-breathing arthropods. It is one of the most significant adaptations of some crabs and hermit crabs such as the coconut crab to their terrestrial habitats....
- some crabs, coconut crabs in particular, use this gillGillA gill is a respiratory organ found in many aquatic organisms that extracts dissolved oxygen from water, afterward excreting carbon dioxide. The gills of some species such as hermit crabs have adapted to allow respiration on land provided they are kept moist...
-like lungLungThe lung is the essential respiration organ in many air-breathing animals, including most tetrapods, a few fish and a few snails. In mammals and the more complex life forms, the two lungs are located near the backbone on either side of the heart... - Labyrinth organ – A secondary breathing organ specific to the labyrinth fish, essentially an enclosed maze of tissue, evolved from a niche in their gill structure.
- Invertebrate tracheaInvertebrate tracheaThe invertebrate trachea refers to the open respiratory system composed of spiracles, tracheae, and tracheoles that terrestrial arthropods have to transport metabolic gases to and from tissues....
– tubes evolved by many arthropods, possibly from book lungs, which simply lead directly into their bodies through holes called spiracleSpiracleSpiracles are openings on the surface of some animals that usually lead to respiratory systems.-Vertebrates:The spiracle is a small hole behind each eye that opens to the mouth in some fishes. In the primitive jawless fish the first gill opening immediately behind the mouth is essentially similar...
s, where their internal organs generally absorb their own air. These can be very primitive, as with some spiders, or more complex, ending with specialized air sacs, as with many insects. - lungLungThe lung is the essential respiration organ in many air-breathing animals, including most tetrapods, a few fish and a few snails. In mammals and the more complex life forms, the two lungs are located near the backbone on either side of the heart...
– The lung is made up of muscle tissues, the cells inside the lung which collect the oxygen in the air and pass it into the blood stream via veins and carbon dioxide passes out and that is breathing respiratoryRespiratory systemThe respiratory system is the anatomical system of an organism that introduces respiratory gases to the interior and performs gas exchange. In humans and other mammals, the anatomical features of the respiratory system include airways, lungs, and the respiratory muscles...
. - diaphragmThoracic diaphragmIn the anatomy of mammals, the thoracic diaphragm, or simply the diaphragm , is a sheet of internal skeletal muscle that extends across the bottom of the rib cage. The diaphragm separates the thoracic cavity from the abdominal cavity and performs an important function in respiration...
– a layer of muscular membrane located at the bottom of the thoracic cavity which in responsible in adjusting the volume of the thoracic cavity.