Gills
A)made of cartilage, which is a strong, elastic connective tissue
B)a deep sea fish with a skeleton of cartilage
C)organs for breathing underwater, consisting of membranes through which oxygen can pass
D)rounded, like something swollen
E)a fin that is a fish's tail
C) organs for breathing underwater, consisting of membranes through which oxygen can pass.
Cartilaginous fish have _____ scales.
placoid
single
caudal
overlapping
lateral
A) placoid
C) organs for breathing underwater, consisting of membranes through which oxygen can pass
To understand what gills are, we can break down the word and provide some context.
First, let's define what gills are. Gills are organs found in many aquatic organisms, such as fish, that allow them to extract oxygen from water. They serve as the respiratory system for these organisms and are responsible for their ability to breathe underwater.
To understand how gills work, we need to know that they consist of thin, feathery structures called filaments. These filaments are made up of blood vessels covered by a thin layer of tissue, which acts as a membrane. These membranes are the key component of gills.
Now, when an aquatic organism, such as a fish, passes water over its gills, the oxygen dissolved in the water diffuses across the thin membranes of the gills and into the blood vessels. At the same time, carbon dioxide, which is a waste product of respiration, diffuses out of the blood vessels into the water and is then expelled from the body.
Therefore, gills are organs specifically adapted for extracting oxygen from water and eliminating carbon dioxide. They play a crucial role in the respiration of aquatic organisms by allowing them to "breathe" underwater, even though they differ in structure and function from our lungs, which are adapted to breathe air.