RESPIRATORY

SYSTEM:
VERTEBRATES
 RESPIRATORY ORGANS

GILLS LUNGS
2
vertebrates

3
 1.

RESPIRATORY ORGANS:
GILLS
4
 GILLS

✘Used for aquatic respiration;

✘Are of two types:
-External Gills
-Internal Gills

5
 EXTERNAL GILLS
✘ are the gills of an animal, most typically an amphibian, that are
exposed to the environment, rather than set inside the pharynx and
covered by gill slits, as they are in most fishes;
✘ most commonly observed on the aquatic larva of most species of
salamanders, lungfish, and bichirs, and are retained by neotenic
adult salamanders and some species of adult lungfish.

6
 EXTERNAL GILLS

In some tailed amphibians,

In larvae of most amphibians the external gills and gill-slits are
integument covering the outer retained throughout life, but in
surface of visceral arches gives some tailed and all tailless
off branching outgrowths which amphibians they are lost during
are tufts of filaments. metamorphosis and, hence,
called larval gills.

7
 EXTERNAL GILLS

In the embryo usually five The third, fourth, and fifth

pairs of pharyngeal visceral arches bear external
gills. External gills are in
pouches arise, of which
direct contact with water and
only second, third, and, an exchange of gases occurs
fourth perforate and open through their surface
to the exterior. epithelium.

8
 EXTERNAL GILLS

Later an operculum arises

and covers these gill- clefts These external gills soon
and gills externally in degenerate and a new
tadpoles so that the gills set of gills, called internal
become enclosed in an gills develop from the
opercular chamber lined same visceral arches.
with ectoderm.

9
 EXTERNAL GILLS
The external gills of fishes
disappear in the adult. Gills
may be pectinate,
bipinnate, dendritic or leaf-
like. A gill has a narrow
central axis bearing double
row of filaments. These are
richly vascularised by aortic
arches.

10
 EXTERNAL GILLS

External gills, though rare in fishes, are found in some larval

forms of lampreys, Polypterus (bichir) has one pair of external
gills. Dipnoi (Lepidosireri) have four pairs of filamentous
external gills attached to the outer edges of the branchial arches.

11
 Salamander gills grow from
the external surface of the
pharyngeal arch, as do
those of larval polypterid
and lungfishes.

12
 ARMORED BICHIR

13
GILLED AFRICAN LUNGFISH
14
AXOLTL SALAMANDER
15
 INTERNAL GILLS

These gill structures The aortic arches

develop entirely from the
branch to form the
pharyngeal arch complex.
Blood is supplied through
afferent branchial
the aortic arches that pass arteries and the
through each pharyngeal capillary network in
arch. the gills.

16
 INTERNAL GILLS

Oxygenated blood comes

from the gills through
efferent branchial arteries
which supply the dosal
aorta; the vessel which is the
primay supply of oxygenated
blood to the body.

17
 INTERNAL GILLS

Typically, pharyngeal movements bring

water into the pharynx through either
the mouth or a modified first
pharyngeal opening called a spiracle.
The mouth and/or spiracle is then
closed as the pharynx contracts to
push the water out through the gill
openings. The gill membranes cover
the surfaces of the gills and collect
oxygen from the expelled water.

18
 INTERNAL GILLS
The typical pharyngeal arch
has a surface of gill filaments
on both its anterior wall and
posterior wall. The gill surface
on the anterior wall is called
the post-trematic demibranch.
The gill surface on the
posterior wall of the arch is the
pre-trematic demibranch.

19
 INTERNAL GILLS

Extending from the cartilage or

bone of the gill arch are thinner
In each pharyngeal arch
skeletal supports called gill rays,
there is an artery, a nerve, which radiate into the soft tissue
and a skeletal member of the gill septum between the
(branchial arch cartilage or demibranchs, and also short stout
bone). skeletal projections called gill
rakers that form short, blunt
pointed, finger-like projections at
the internal gill opening.

20
21
 INTERNAL GILLS

In holocephalans, the gills are

Agnathans and elasmobranchs covered by an operculum and the
septum which separates the pre-
have a gill septum which
trematic from the post-trematic
extends beyond the gill filament
demibranch (shortened). In the
surfaces to the outside plate of
advanced bony fish, the septum is
skin which separates the gill lacking. The two demibranchs
openings. extend free of any septum into the
gill cavity beneath the operculum.

22
23
24
 2.

RESPIRATORY ORGANS:
LUNGS
25
26
 LARYNX
✘ Larynx is not sound producing organ in birds, but serves to modulate tones
that originate in the syrinx. Syrinx lies at the lower end of trachea where it
divides into two bronchi;
✘ It is the sound producing organ. Larynx is greatly developed in mammals;
✘ Its wall is supported by a pair of arytenoid, single cricoid and a single
thyroid cartilage on the ventral surface.

27
 LARYNX
✘ The upper end of trachea is enlarged, especially in frogs and toads, to form
the larynx or sound box in which the vocal cords are located;
✘ In Necturus, it is supported by a pair of lateral cartilages bounding the
glottis;
✘ In other amphibians, each lateral cartilage is divided into a dorsal arytenoid
and a ventral cricoid cartilage;
✘ In frog, both the cricoid fuse to form a cartilaginous ring;

28
 TRACHEA
✘ Trachea is extremely short or absent in Anura. It is merged with the larynx
to form laryngotracheal chamber. Many caudate amphibians possess a
short trachea, supported by cartilages;
✘ Trachea is simple in reptiles as in amphibians or may be long in long-
necked reptiles such as turtles, trachea is long and convoluted;
✘ Tracheal cartilages are sometimes in the form of complete rings. In birds,
the trachea is long;

29
 TRACHEA
✘ In swans and cranes, trachea is longer than the neck and tracheal rings are
complete and ossified;
✘ Trachea in mammals is variable and tracheal rings are usually incomplete
on the upper side.

30
 AVIAN RESPIRATION
✘ Birds have lungs, but they also have air sacs. Depending upon the species,
the bird has seven or nine air sacs:
- Two posterior thoracic
- Two abdominal
- Two anterior thoracic
- Two cervical (these are not present in some species)
- One interclavicular

31
32
 AVIAN RESPIRATION
✘ During the first expiration, the air is moved from the posterior air sacs
through the ventrobronchi and dorsobronchi into the lungs;
✘ When the bird inspires the second time, the air moves to the cranial air
sacs;
✘ On the second expiration, the air moves out of the cranial air sacs, through
the syrinx into the trachea, through the larynx, and finally through the
nasal cavity and out of the nostrils.

33
 FROG
✘ The frog's lungs are a pair of thin-walled sacs connected to the mouth
through an opening, the glottis. The surface area of the lungs is increased
by inner partitions which are richly supplied with blood vessels. The frog
inflates its lungs by:

- filling its mouth with air

- then closing its mouth
- closing the internal openings to its nostrils
- opening its glottis
- raising the floor of its mouth thus forcing air into the lungs.

34
35
FROG

36
 CUTANEOUS RESPIRATION
✘ The trait of cutaneous respiration is present in all three groups of
amphibians: Caudata (salamanders and newts), Anura (frogs and toads),
and Caecilians (uniquely legless amphibians).
✘ Cutaneous respiration is the one that happens through the skin . In this
case, near the skin are numerous blood vessels that collect oxygen and
eliminate carbon dioxide. This type of breathing requires a thin, gas
permeable skin, which must be constantly moistened.

37
 REPTALIAN RESPIRATION
✘ Reptilian lungs typically receive air via expansion and contraction of the
ribs driven by axial muscles and buccal pumping. 
✘ Crocodilians also rely on the hepatic piston method, in which the liver is
pulled back by a muscle anchored to the pubic bone (part of the pelvis),
which in turn pulls the bottom of the lungs backward, expanding them. 
✘ Turtles, which are unable to move their ribs, instead use their forelimbs
and pectoral girdle to force air in and out of the lungs.

38
 MAMMALIAN RESPIRATION
✘ In most mammals, lungs are subdivided externally into lobes, i.e., left
lung has two lobes and right lung has three lobes in man and four lobes in
rabbit.
✘ Lungs are simple and without lobes in whales, sirenians, elephants, hyrax
and several perissodactyles. Right lung is lobulated in monotremes and
rats.
✘ In sirenians, the lungs are elongated.

39
MAMMALIAN RESPIRATION

40
MAMMALIAN RESPIRATION

41
 3.

Accessory Respiratory
Organs

42
 Accessory Respiratory Organs:
I. Skin:
- The common eel, Anguilla can travel by wriggling on damp grass though it
has no special respiratory organs, but it has vascular areas in the skin by
which it can breathe both in water and on land.

43
 Accessory Respiratory Organs:
- In amphibians also, the moist skin is highly vascular. Lungless salamanders
(plethodonts) respire only through skin.

44
 Accessory Respiratory Organs:
- African male hairy frog, Astylosternus have vascular hairy cutaneous
outgrowths which act as respiratory surface.

45
 Accessory Respiratory Organs:
- Vascular caudal fin of Periophthalmus (mud-skipper) acts as respiratory
organ during submergence. 

46
 Accessory Respiratory Organs:
II. Swim-Bladders:
- The Indian climbing perch Anabas scandens, has special air chambers above
the gills, where three concentrically folded bony laminae, called labyrinth form
organs are developed from the first epibranchial bone on each side.

47
 Accessory Respiratory Organs:
III. Epithelial Lining:
- The loach Misgurnus swallows air which passes through the intestine and is
voided by the anus, the highly vascular mucous membrane absorbs oxygen
from the air, and carbon dioxide is also passed through the anus.
- In Callichthys, rectal respiration takes place, the rectum is highly vascular
into which water is alternately taken in and pumped out.

48
 Accessory Respiratory Organs:

Loach Misgurnus Callichthys

49
 Accessory Respiratory Organs:
IV. Pharyngeal Diverticula:
- The Indian ‘Cuchia eel’ Amphipnous has poorly developed gills, but on each
side of the body there is a vascular sac as an outgrowth of the pharynx which
opens anteriorly into the first gill-cleft. These sacs are respiratory.

50
 Accessory Respiratory Organs:
V. Branchial Diverticula:
- In the Indian catfish Saccobranchus, there is a pair of large air sacs, each
arising from the branchial chamber and extending laterally backwards into the
trunk muscles. They can be filled with air for respiration.

51
 Accessory Respiratory Organs:
V. Branchial Diverticula:
- The catfish Clarias, has a pair of supra-branchial organs, each lying on one
side and divided into two parts, a highly branched arborescent organ formed
from second and fourth branchial arches, and a vascular sac of the branchial
chamber which encloses the arborescent organ.

52
thanks!

53