Gas Exchange at Rest and during Exercise in Mammals

In this second edition, the scope of this chapter has been broadened to include consideration of gas exchange from air to mitochondria as an integrated transport system. As with pulmonary gas exchange per se, the principles are similar across the mammalian species, permitting a general, species-independent description. This new section will address how the lungs/chest wall, heart, blood, and muscles work together as a system to dictate the flow of O₂ from air to mitochondria. The changes in this edition to the pre-existing sections in the first edition are to illustrate principles with concrete examples and to provide some figures, of which there were none in the first edition. However, the basic architecture and content have not been disturbed as they depict well the basic gas exchange principles common to all mammals as well as the comparative abilities for respiration across the range of mammals, from tiny to enormous.