Wednesday 3 July 2019

Breathing under water

Breathing:

Gills are the respiratory organs of many aquatic animals. With fish, the gills are in a space behind the head. Fishes exchange gasses with water through the gills.


Gas exchange

The water comes in through the mouth of the fish, then flows along the gills, and is released through an opening behind the gills. The gills are made up of a gill arch with rakers - which prevent plugging of the organ by particles - and filaments on which lamellas are located. As the water flows along the lamellas, oxygen penetrates into the fish's blood. For optimal absorption of oxygen, the water flows in an opposite direction to the blood.


Carbon dioxide and other waste from the blood is transferred into the water via the gill lamellas. In this way the fish gets oxygen to keep breathing and leaves waste!


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