BRAINCAKEStructure of the Gills
Fish have a waterproof covering. They are relatively large and so have a small surface area to volume ratio.
In order to supply and remove respiratory gases they have evolved a specialised internal gas exchange surface called the gills.
Gills are located in the body behind the head.
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Key terms in this lesson
- surface area to volume ratio
- The ratio of an organism's outer surface area to its volume; it decreases as size increases, which limits the rate of exchange achievable by diffusion alone.
More in Exchange Surfaces and Breathing
- Gas Exchange in Unicellular Organisms
- Gas Exchange in Insects
- Diffusion Gradient
- Mass Transport
- Increasing the Rate of Diffusion
- Limitations of the Tracheal System
- Gas Exchange in Fish
- Counter Current Exchange
All 24 lessons in Exchange Surfaces and Breathing · All OCR AS-level Biology topics