Glucose and oxygen are the reactants when respiration takes place in cells.Oxygen is absorbed into the blood in the lungs. How are the lungs are adapted for this function?
1 Answer
The lining epithelium of the respiratory membrane permits diffusion of oxygen into the blood
Explanation:
Inside the lungs are tiny structural and functional units called alveoli. Alveoli arranged in alveolar ducts and sacs are covered by a membrane called the respiratory membrane. The respiratory membrane contains a large surface area that is covered by thousands of alveoli.
Alveoli are lined by a single layer of flattened cells (simple squamous epithelium). The large and permeable surface of the respiratory membrane makes it well suited for facilitating the exchange of gases (mainly oxygen and carbon-dioxide). So during inspiration (when the lung fills with air), the oxygen from the alveoli diffuse out into the capillaries surrounding the alveoli (whose oxygen concentration is less than the air filled alveoli),
