A3.3.1HowOxygenCells - Weebly



Activity 3.3.1: How Does Oxygen Get to Your Cells? Introduction Why can the human body last for only a few minutes without oxygen, yet can survive for days without food or water? Remember the rules of three that you read in Activity 3.1.2; it listed three minutes as the time a body can go without air; yet it was three days without water and three weeks without food! From these time limits it is easy to see that oxygen must be very important and that the body needs a near constant supply. What does oxygen do in the body that is so important for survival? The body needs oxygen to make ATP, the energy molecule for all cells. Even the name of the process that ultimately produces ATP from the breakdown of food molecules emphasizes the importance of oxygen in the process. Remember, the process is called oxidative phosphorylation. Think back to what you have already learned about adenosine tri-phosphate. Remember it is formed by combining the nucleoside adenosine with three high energy phosphate groups. The final step to produce the ATP molecule is the addition of the third phosphate group, and this process requires the enzyme ATP synthase located in the membrane of the mitochondria. It is that final step that requires oxygen. If there are no oxygen molecules available, then ATP can not be produced and the body’s cells do not have a source of energy. The lack of oxygen in a cell is analogous to a battery running out in an electronic device. As the battery loses power, the device slows down; once the power is gone, the device stops working. In a cell, when oxygen is not available, the cell processes slow down as the remaining ATP is used; once all the ATP is gone, the cell can no longer function and dies. Without oxygen the cell can not replace the ATP it uses; consequently, once all the stored ATP is gone, the cell no longer has a source of energy and cell functions stop.The body’s source of oxygen is the air in the atmosphere. Getting oxygen from the air to each cell in the body is a complex and coordinated effort of the respiratory and the cardiovascular systems. How often do you think about your breathing? Every minute your body is taking in the oxygen it needs and getting rid of waste gases. It is a good thing that you don’t have to think about breathing because you would have little time to think about anything else.In this activity, you will investigate the structure of the respiratory system and its connection to the cardiovascular system.Equipment Computer with Internet accessLaboratory JournalHuman Body System OrganizerProcedureAt the conclusion of this activity, you will be able to:Describe the structure and function of the components of the respiratory system.Explain how oxygen is transferred from the lungs to blood.Explain how oxygen is transferred from blood to the body cells.Apply your knowledge of the oxygen transport system to explain the consequences of various disease conditions.Go to the National Geographic Health and the Human Body webpage on Lungs and Lung Information, accessible at the introduction titled The Breath of Life in the mini window. Select Lung Anatomy in the mini window. Click on either the lung diagram or the names of structures to see more information about the lobes, trachea, diaphragm, bronchi, and bronchioles.Sketch a diagram of the respiratory system on a blank Human Body System Organizer. Label each of the components and write a brief description of each component’s function.Select the Alveoli tab in the lower left corner. The diagram and names of structures should change to represent the smallest structures associated with the lungs. Again click on either the diagram or the names of the structures to see more information about the alveoli, bronchioles, and blood vessels.Select Lung Functions. Complete the interactive demonstration of lung function. Watch carefully what is happening in the alveoli.Scroll down the page and read About the Lungs. Click on the button to expand for more information and read the entire section. Take notes in your Laboratory Journal about the structures as you read.Go to the Yale University School of Medicine webpage on cardiothoracic imaging to see a detailed diagram of the lung. The page is accessible at . Place the cursor over the diagram and notice that the names of each structure appear. Examine the diagram of the lobes of the lung. Draw a picture in your Laboratory Journal of the lung. Indicate the three major segments of the right lobe, and the two major segments of the left lobe. Include and label the bronchi and bronchioles in your diagram. You do not need to make your diagram or structure labeling as complex as the diagram on the webpage.Go to the Yale University School of Medicine webpage on cardiothoracic imaging to see a detailed diagram of the bronchioles and alveoli. The page is accessible at how the vessels of the cardiovascular system are wrapped multiple times around the bronchiole and alveoli. Notice that there are both arterial and venous capillaries around each alveolar sac.Notice that the pulmonary artery is shown in blue and the pulmonary vein is shown in red. Optional. Watch the YouTube video showing the dissection of a lamb’s lung and heart, accessible at . Notice how large the lungs are compared to the heart. Watch carefully as the teacher shows the cross section of the lungs; look carefully to see the bronchioles. Notice the bronchioles in the cross-section have different diameters; this is because the multiple bronchioles branch out through the lung tissue. Optional. Watch the YouTube video showing the inflation of a dissected cow’s lungs, accessible at . ConclusionHave you ever had your foot or hand “go to sleep” because of the position of your body? Using your knowledge of cellular respiration, propose a hypothesis of why the foot or hand has gone to sleep.Explain what might be happening to the cells in the tissues of your hand or foot when you feel the sensation of them “being asleep.”In diagrams of the lungs and bronchioles you examined, the pulmonary artery and arterioles were shown in blue and the pulmonary vein and venules were shown in red. This is the opposite of how the arteries and veins are usually represented in diagrams. Why are the colors of the vessels shown this way in the lung diagrams?Remember what you learned about diffusion in the PBS or another science class. Use the principles of diffusion to explain why oxygen molecules in the tissues of the lung go into the blood, and then in other tissues the oxygen molecules leave the blood.What environmental conditions might cause damage to the alveolar sacs, and what would be the consequences of that damage?Describe how the muscular system is interconnected to the respiratory system.BONUS Question: The Rule of Threes indicates that the body can survive for only about 3 minutes without oxygen. Propose a possible explanation of why victims who have been submerged in very cold water have been revived even after they have been without oxygen for 45 to 60 minutes. ................
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