Unit 6

Metabolism

Metabolism?
Metabolism the collection of chemical reactions (i.e. enzymatic rxns) that occur in an organsim
- Think about enzymes, substrates, temperature, pH

Plants and Metabolism

Endosperm food source for developing embryo (starch/glucose) Embryo the developing corn plant

Embryo

Question
In Exercise 1 you used a solution called TZ which turns pink when chemical reactions are occurring and is used as an indicator of metabolic activity. Which part of the kernel turned pink? Why didnt the boiled kernel turn pink?

Metabolism and Oxygen

Most metabolic activity in animals is aerobic (it requires oxygen) Metabolism can be studied by recording oxygen consumption Body size is the most important factor that affects oxygen consumption

Weight specific O2 consumption = oxygen consumption rate

Weight

Question
Oxygen consumption (ml/min) Body weight (g)

A 5 11

B 6 9

C 4 12

What is the weight-specific metabolic rate of the cockroach with the fastest metabolism?

Question
Imagine that you measured the oxygen consumption of a 20g robin and a 5g hummingbird over a 10 minute time period under similar environmental circumstances and you found that the two birds consumed the same amount of oxygen.

Which bird has the higher metabolic rate?

Insect respiratory systems

Spiracles opening on the body of an insect that allows oxygen into the tracheae Tracheae tiny tubes in an insects body that delivers oxygen to metabolizing tissues

Oxygen moves by diffusion!

Human respiratory system

Bronchiole

Epiglottis

Alveoli

Trachea Bronchi Bronchiole Diaphragm

Human respiratory system

Epiglottis flap in trachea that prevents food/water from entering the lungs Trachea air tube leading from mouth to lungs, windpipe. Not = throat or esophagus! Bronchi tubes branching from trachea into each lung (= 2 bronchi, left and right) Bronchioles tubes from bronchi that branch out throughout the lungs Alveoli tiny air sacs at the ends of bronchioles, where gas exchange happens Diaphragm muscle at bottom of chest cavity, contraction of which draws air into the lungs

Human respiratory system

Gas exchange occurs through diffusion

Low concentration of oxygen in blood, high concentration in the air (Diffusion= high to low)
Opposite for carbon dioxide (CO2), high concentration of CO2 in the blood

Why is the lung sub-divided into tiny air-sacs (alveoli)?

Diaphragm

When the diaphragm muscle contracts, air enters the lungs

When the muscle relaxes, air is expelled

Question
It has been estimated that the total respiratory surface in the lungs is about equal to the surface area of a tennis court.

What structure is the lungs produces this enormous amount of surface area?

Thermal strategies for animal metabolism

Thermal strategy the metabolic pattern of an organism

Ectotherm organism whose body temperature is determined primarily by the environmental temperature Endotherm organism whose body temperature is maintained independent of the environmental temp.

Ectotherms
0.6

Oxygen Consumption

0.6 0.4

0.2

10

20

30

40

Temperature (C)

What specific effect does high temperature have in order to cause the sharp Decline in oxygen consumption above 35C?

Endotherms
0.6

Oxygen Consumption

0.6 0.4

0.2

10

20

30

40

Temperature (C)

Why does endotherm metabolism increase at low temperatures? At high?

Oxygen consumption vs. Body size

-The larger you get, the more oxygen you consume - In general: endotherms are larger than ectotherms and therefore consume more oxygen

endotherm

Oxygen Consumption

104

103

102

ectotherm

101

101

102

103

104

Body mass (g)

Question
Which of the following is a benefit of the endothermic strategy?
1. 2.

3.

4.

Allows an organism to have a smaller body size Allows an organism to maximize activity over a wider range of environmental temperatures Allows an organism to take advantage of unpredictable resource availability Allows an organism to have lower energy requirements

What does this graph suggest about the advantages/disadvantages of endotherms and ectotherms?

endotherm

Oxygen Consumption

104

Ectotherm is inexpensive = dont have to eat as much

103

102

ectotherm

101

Endotherms must spend a lot of time finding and consuming food, more time spent feeding can expose them to predators or bad environmental conditions

101

102

103

104

Body mass (g)

Weight specific oxygen consumption vs. body mass

- Endotherms
Oxygen consumption (ml/g/hr) cat

dog human pig

- Smaller animals have higher metabolism compared to body size

cow

Remember: weight specific

Body mass (kg)

Why?
Why is metabolism higher in smaller animals?

Think surface-to-volume ratio:

Small animals have higher surface-area to volume ratios = This means that there is more surface area to lose heat through Ex. A small shrew must consume its own body mass in food every 24 hours Whens the last time you at your own body weight?