Skip to main content
Biology LibreTexts

22.6: Introduction to Gas Exchange across Respiratory Surfaces

  • Page ID
    44231
  • \( \newcommand{\vecs}[1]{\overset { \scriptstyle \rightharpoonup} {\mathbf{#1}} } \) \( \newcommand{\vecd}[1]{\overset{-\!-\!\rightharpoonup}{\vphantom{a}\smash {#1}}} \)\(\newcommand{\id}{\mathrm{id}}\) \( \newcommand{\Span}{\mathrm{span}}\) \( \newcommand{\kernel}{\mathrm{null}\,}\) \( \newcommand{\range}{\mathrm{range}\,}\) \( \newcommand{\RealPart}{\mathrm{Re}}\) \( \newcommand{\ImaginaryPart}{\mathrm{Im}}\) \( \newcommand{\Argument}{\mathrm{Arg}}\) \( \newcommand{\norm}[1]{\| #1 \|}\) \( \newcommand{\inner}[2]{\langle #1, #2 \rangle}\) \( \newcommand{\Span}{\mathrm{span}}\) \(\newcommand{\id}{\mathrm{id}}\) \( \newcommand{\Span}{\mathrm{span}}\) \( \newcommand{\kernel}{\mathrm{null}\,}\) \( \newcommand{\range}{\mathrm{range}\,}\) \( \newcommand{\RealPart}{\mathrm{Re}}\) \( \newcommand{\ImaginaryPart}{\mathrm{Im}}\) \( \newcommand{\Argument}{\mathrm{Arg}}\) \( \newcommand{\norm}[1]{\| #1 \|}\) \( \newcommand{\inner}[2]{\langle #1, #2 \rangle}\) \( \newcommand{\Span}{\mathrm{span}}\)\(\newcommand{\AA}{\unicode[.8,0]{x212B}}\)

    Understand how gas pressure influences how gases move into and out of the body

    The structure of the lung maximizes its surface area to increase gas diffusion. Because of the enormous number of alveoli (approximately 300 million in each human lung), the surface area of the lung is very large (75 m2). Having such a large surface area increases the amount of gas that can diffuse into and out of the lungs.

    What You’ll Learn to Do

    • Identify the basic principles of gas exchange
    • Name and describe lung volumes and capacities
    • Describe how gas pressure influences how gases move into and out of the body
    • Discuss how gases move across the alveoli

    Learning Activities

    The learning activities for this section include the following:

    • Breathing Capacity
    • Gas Pressure and Respiration
    • Gas Exchange across the Alveoli
    • Self Check: Gas Exchange across Respiratory Surfaces

    Contributors and Attributions

    CC licensed content, Original
    • Introduction to Gas Exchange across Respiratory Surfaces. Provided by: Lumen Learning. License: CC BY: Attribution
    CC licensed content, Shared previously

    22.6: Introduction to Gas Exchange across Respiratory Surfaces is shared under a not declared license and was authored, remixed, and/or curated by LibreTexts.

    • Was this article helpful?