Gas exchange as a vital function

Diffusion is the movement of particles from an area of lower concentration to an area of higher concentration.

• True

• False

A high surface area-to-volume ratio is beneficial for gas exchange in small organisms.

• True

• False

Insects use alveoli for gas exchange.

• True

• False

The concentration gradient does not affect the rate of diffusion.

• True

• False

Type II pneumocytes secrete surfactant to reduce surface tension in the alveoli.

• True

• False

Gas exchange occurs via a process called ______, which involves the movement of particles from an area of higher concentration to an area of lower concentration.

As the size of an organism increases, its surface area-to-volume ratio ______.

The ______ in plants are small pores that allow gases to move into and out of the leaf.

In mammals, the ______ are the primary organs responsible for the exchange of gases between the air and the bloodstream.

Around the alveoli are many ______, which provide a short distance for oxygen to diffuse into the blood and for carbon dioxide to diffuse out of the blood.