Have you ever wondered if animals have different ways to breathe? If that is your case and you want to know if the different Types of Animal Breathing really exist, we recommend that you continue reading this article so you can learn more about the interesting world of the animal kingdom.
Types of Animal Breathing
Breathing is known as a vital process for the existence of all living beings, even plants carry out this process to stay alive. Although not all living beings carry out this activity in the same way, as is the case with animals that modify this process according to atomic adaptations or according to the type of environment they possess. In itself, the respiratory system is made up of a set of organs that work in unison to exchange gases.
In summary, it could be said that it is an exchange of gases that occurs between the body and the environment with the purpose of obtaining oxygen (O2) and releasing carbon dioxide (CO2), in which releasing carbon dioxide is a step critical because it is deadly when it accumulates in a body. However you see it, breathing consists of acquiring oxygen and eliminating carbon dioxide, since oxygen is used to process sugars and thereby obtain the biochemical energy necessary to live, instead carbon dioxide is a byproduct of said reaction that It must be expelled from the body since it is harmful when it accumulates in the body.
When oxygen enters the body through animal respiration, it ends up being distributed throughout the body through the circulatory system in order to feed the wide variety of biological tissues that need it. In this way there is a connection between the respiratory and cardiovascular systems, which become very different depending on the animal species being observed.
Breathing in the Animal Kingdom
Breathing is an activity that all animals carry out, but the way in which they carry it out is not the same in each animal group. The breathing process they use will depend on the animal group, the characteristics they possess and atomic adaptations. It is a process that is mainly focused on obtaining oxygen and releasing carbon dioxide. This activity is very important because by performing it, animals can obtain energy to perform other vital functions. Besides, this activity is essential for the life of aerobic organisms, that is, those that live in the presence of oxygen (O2).
There are simple animals such as sponges or jellyfish which do not develop any respiratory structure. Since these diblastic animals carry out the gas exchange of all their cells with the aquatic environment that surrounds them. In the case of triblastic animals, they increase the number of their cell layers and increase the inconveniences to carry out gas exchange with all the cells of the body. However, most flatworms have the ability to apply gas exchange without the need for a specific system, this is due to the small number of cells that make up their body.
Types of Breathing of Animals according to their Process
Animals have various processes to carry out respiration according to their environment, atomic adaptations and the animal group to which they belong, these processes are classified as pulmonary respiration, gill respiration, tracheal respiration and cutaneous respiration. The first and usually the best known is pulmonary respiration which uses the lungs to carry out the process. Pulmonary respiration can be performed in different ways depending on the animal species. Likewise, you can see animals that only have one lung while others have two lungs. Gill breathing is used by most marine animals. This consists of the exchange of gases that is carried out through the gills.
The next on the list is tracheal breathing which is very common to see in invertebrate animals, the ones that stand out the most using this type of breathing are insects. In this type of respiration, the circulatory system does not influence the exchange of gases. Finally, there is cutaneous respiration and, as its name indicates, this gas exchange occurs through the skin. It is usually used by amphibians and other animals that are located in humid environments and that are thin-skinned. In these types of breathing in animals, the important thing is to know what the process of each of them is and they are:
Pulmonary Respiration in Animals
The most common respiration is pulmonary respiration, which is gas exchange through the lungs. Among the large number of animals that use it, we can find terrestrial vertebrates (among them we can mention mammals, birds, and reptiles), aquatic animals (os which we can highlight the cetaceans) and finally the amphibians which can also exchange gases through the skin. The lungs change in their structure and have various anatomical adaptations depending on the group of vertebrates.
In the case of aquatic turtles, these create gas exchange zones with water in the rectal area through the digestive tract. In addition, they have alterations in their circulatory system, this allows them to endure a long time underwater without the need to go to the surface in search of oxygen.
Amphibians
Amphibians may have lungs as simple vascularized sacs, as is the case with salamanders and frogs, which can be seen with lungs divided into chambers with folds that increase the gas exchange surface, known as flaveoli.
reptiles
On the other hand, the reptile species has lungs that are more dominated than those of amphibians, since these are divided into numerous air sacs with a spongy texture that are interconnected with each other. The gas exchange surface is greatly increased compared to that of amphibians. Some reptiles have two lungs and others have one, as is the case with snakes. It should be noted that reptiles have thick and dry skin, with scales and are unable to produce gas exchange with the outside. These have lungs with more internal capacity which allows colonization, by these animals, of dry land, without dependence on water.
Birds
Pulmonary respiration in birds is more complex since, as they constantly use flight, the lungs end up requiring more oxygen than normal. Birds are the only ones in which we can observe lungs that are ventilated by air sacs. In itself, the air sacs do not influence gas exchange, but are used to store air and then end up expelling it, this serves so that the lungs have reserves of fresh air that can flow inside them all the time.
Mammals
Now mammals are animals that have elastic lungs that are fragmented into parts and their configuration is very similar to that of a tree. Since it branches into bronchi and bronchioles to the alveoli, which is where gas exchange occurs. The lungs are located in the chest cavity and this is limited by the diaphragm. The latter is a muscle that collaborates with distension and contraction, this facilitates the entry and exit of gases.
Branchial Respiration in Animals
The gills are the organ that is in charge of breathing under water, they are visible and are located in the state or behind the head depending on the aquatic species. These can develop in two ways, one is structured by gill slits that are grouped together and the other as branched appendages. An example of them can be seen in the larvae of newts and salamanders, or in invertebrates such as the larvae of some annelid insects and molluscs.
This breathing consists of water entering through the mouth through the slits. Oxygen is "captured" and distributed to the blood and other tissues. The water is conducted towards the gill with the help of the same water current or the operculum, thanks to this it is that gas exchange can occur. Some types of animal respiration are known but there is little information about them, such as gill respiration.
In the case of fish, these hold and extend the gills through the gill arches. On the other hand, sharks and manta rays appear to have 5 arches (six in those that are less evolved) and those with 4 arches are bony fish. That bony structure is known as the operculum which protects these brachial arches. The process consists of the water circulating from the mouth to the gill slits, pressured by the league, this creates a current that benefits the exchange of gases between the gill and the water.
Animals that breathe through gills
Among the animals that breathe through gills are the Giant Manta (Mobula Birostris), the Whale Shark (Rhincodon Typus), the Stock Lamprey (Geotria Australis), the Giant Clam (Tridacna Gigas) and the Great Blue Octopus (Octopus Cyanea )
Tracheal Respiration in Animals
Another type of breathing in animals is tracheal breathing which is usually observed in invertebrates. Highlighting insects, arachnids, myriapods (centipedes and millipedes), among others. This system is made up of a branch of tubes and ducts that are distributed throughout the body. These are directly connected to the rest of the organs and tissues. It is for this reason that the circulatory system does not influence the transport of gases.
In short, oxygen moves without reaching the hemolymph. Which is a liquid belonging to the circulatory system of invertebrates such as insects and it fulfills a function similar to the blood of the human being and the rest of the vertebrate animals. This is why it is inserted directly into cells. These ducts connect directly to the outside through openings known as stigmata or spiracles, through which they end up expelling CO2.
Examples of Tracheal Breathing in Animals
Among the animals that breathe through tracheas are the Water Bunting (Gyrinus natator), Grasshopper (Caelifera), Ant (Formicidae), Bee (Apis mellifera) and Asian Wasp (Vespa velutina). These are some of the animals that breathe through their trachea.
Cutaneous Respiration in Animals
Finally, there is cutaneous respiration, which is where no organ (such as the lungs and gills) influences gas exchange, since this occurs through the animal's skin. This breathing is applied in insects, amphibians and other vertebrates that are distributed in humid environments or that have very thin skins. An example of this is bats, which are mammals that have very thin skin on their wings and because of this it facilitates part of the gas exchange. These are very peculiar types of breathing of animals and that generate a lot of curiosity, since they are few known.
An interesting fact is that there are certain species of amphibians such as white-shelled turtles, which have glands that release mucous which serves to keep the skin moist. In contrast, other amphibians have folds in their skin which increases the exchange surface. Although amphibians can mix ways of breathing such as pulmonary and cutaneous, research concluded that 90% of amphibians carry out gas exchange through the skin.
Examples of Animals that Breathe through the Skin
Among the animals that breathe through their skin are the common earthworm (Lumbricus terrestris), the medicinal leech (Hirudo medicinalis), the Iberian newt (Lissotriton boscai). We also find the Spadefoot Toad (Pelobates cultripes), the Common Frog (Pelophylax perezi), the Sea Urchin (Paracentrotus lividus).
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