The respiratory system is concerned with the exchange of water and carbon dioxide, the control of body fluid, the control of pH, and particularly the maintenance of homeostasis. Going into this lab, I wanted to observe the different parts of respiratory physiology and determine their purpose in being able to maintain homeostasis in the body. Through this lab I learned about lung capacity, or the amount of air my lungs can carry during different stages, such as inspiratory reserve volume, expiratory reserve volume, tidal volume, vital capacity, and residual volume (fig. 1). In addition to this, I learned that exhaling into a solution creates carbon dioxide in the solution’s container, thus changing the pH levels of it. Through the experiment
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I reject my hypothesis that rebreathing carbon dioxide would decrease my depth of breathing. My breathing rate gradually increased once I placed the Ziploc bag over my nose and mouth (fig 3). I noticed that my breathing slowed down as I inhaled and exhaled into the bag. Part of the concept of this is that the air exhaled from the lungs has a lower oxygen content and higher carbon dioxide. Rebreathing carbon dioxide simulates the body’s tendency to hyperventilate to occur. This plays into how rebreathing carbon dioxide increases your depth of breathing. When you breathe into the bag, the oxygen concentration levels in the body decreases and that of carbon dioxide increases. This stimulates the respiratory system and the person starts to hyperventilate to bring the concentration levels back to normal. Rebreathing from a closed bag, such as the Ziploc bag we placed over our noses and mouths, results in a raise of PCO2. The increase in the depth of breathing is due to a higher concentration of carbon dioxide, hence causing the medulla oblongata and pons, or the breathing center of the body, to be stimulated to a higher degree than “normal”. Furthermore, breathing rate increases when blood is acidic, when there is too much carbon dioxide in the blood. This most likely happened during the process of us rebreathing carbon
I reject my hypothesis that rebreathing carbon dioxide would decrease my depth of breathing. My breathing rate gradually increased once I placed the Ziploc bag over my nose and mouth (fig 3). I noticed that my breathing slowed down as I inhaled and exhaled into the bag. Part of the concept of this is that the air exhaled from the lungs has a lower oxygen content and higher carbon dioxide. Rebreathing carbon dioxide simulates the body’s tendency to hyperventilate to occur. This plays into how rebreathing carbon dioxide increases your depth of breathing. When you breathe into the bag, the oxygen concentration levels in the body decreases and that of carbon dioxide increases. This stimulates the respiratory system and the person starts to hyperventilate to bring the concentration levels back to normal. Rebreathing from a closed bag, such as the Ziploc bag we placed over our noses and mouths, results in a raise of PCO2. The increase in the depth of breathing is due to a higher concentration of carbon dioxide, hence causing the medulla oblongata and pons, or the breathing center of the body, to be stimulated to a higher degree than “normal”. Furthermore, breathing rate increases when blood is acidic, when there is too much carbon dioxide in the blood. This most likely happened during the process of us rebreathing carbon