Pulmonary System
By Drs. Ingrid Waldron, Lori Spindler and Jennifer Doherty, Dept of Biology, University of Pennsylvania, CC-BY-NC 4.0.
This minds-on, hands-on activity begins with analysis and discussion questions that develop student understanding of homeostasis and negative feedback, the difference between negative and positive feedback, and the cooperation between the respiratory and circulatory systems to provide O2 and remove CO2 for cells all over the body. Then, students carry out and analyze an experiment which investigates how rate and depth of breathing are affected by negative feedback regulation of blood levels of CO2 and O2. Finally, students formulate a question concerning effects of exercise on breathing, design and carry out a relevant experiment, analyze and interpret their data, and relate their results to homeostasis during exercise.