Why do "water breathers" have a lower blood PCO2 than air breathers?
What will be an ideal response?
Answer: The oxygen content of air is almost 30 times that of water at 20 °C. In order to obtain sufficient oxygen, water breathers must ventilate the respiratory surface nearly 30 times more vigorously to move the same amount of oxygen across the respiratory surface as air breathers do. However, this rate is more than is necessary to adequately eliminate produced CO2 from the blood. Because of this, water breathers have a low blood PCO2 In contrast, air breathers do not need to ventilate at such a high rate to obtain oxygen, because the oxygen content of air is so high. Consequently, due to a reduced ventilation rate, they do not eliminate CO2 as rapidly. This results in higher blood PCO2 levels.
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Fill in the blank(s) with the appropriate word(s).
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The voice organ that connects the pharynx with the trachea