BRAINCAKEThe Human Gas Exchange System
Humans like other mammals are aerobic organisms that need a constant supply of oxygen and need carbon dioxide constantly removed from the body as the accumulation of carbon dioxide in the body would be harmful.
They are relatively large organisms with a small surface area to volume ratio. They have a high metabolic rate and also need to maintain their body temperature.
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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
- The Need for Specialised Exchange Surfaces
- Surface Area to Volume Ratio
- Specialised Exchange Surfaces
- The Lungs
- Mechanism of Breathing
- Inspiration
- Expiration
- Alveoli
All 24 lessons in Exchange Surfaces and Breathing · All OCR AS-level Biology topics