Essay Sample: How Do Fish Breath Under Water?

All animals take in oxygen through breathing. For instance mammals breathe oxygen through the use of lungs from the air. The air is made up of different gases oxygen taking a percentage. On the other hand, fish live in water and not on land compared to other animals, thus they use gills to take in oxygen from the water. The gills used by fish gets oxygen into the blood just like in mammals the lungs are used to get oxygen into the blood. The physical structure of fish allows one to have a clear view of the gills, which are situated behind its head secured by strong scales. They physically look like little slits. Just like air is made up of an array of gases so does water.

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Water has a combination of hydrogen and oxygen, this makes it difficult for fish to breathe in water as it turns out to be more cumbersome and strenuous. The process is rather difficult because of the amount of energy utilized to separate the hydrogen from oxygen, thus the fish get to breathe in oxygen already dissolved in the water. With the fore mentioned reason, a fish tank needs to have a bubbler in order for the oxygen taken from the air to be dissolved in water for the fish to be able to breathe, if not the fish would suffocate after a short while.

When we breathe in, the air fills our lungs and in the process oxygen which part of the air is absorbed through our lungs. Through this process our bodies get to live. All animals that live in the ocean too need oxygen as a means of survival. For example the dolphins and whales which are most often confused to be part of the fish family, are mammals and use lungs to breathe. Their concept is different though because they utilize the blowhole on top of their heads when they come to the water surface. This concept allows for all animals to take in oxygen which use lungs. On the other hand, the fish use a different concept.

The process of breathing for fish takes place through gills, whereby the fish opens and closes its mouth in order for the water to pass through the gills. Opening its mouth allows for water to freely get in, while closing its mouth allows the water be pushed towards the gills in order for the gills to absorb the dissolved oxygen. This process is repeated throughout the life of fish as it is the only means of survival. The fish can live comfortably and breathe under water without the fear of suffocation. For instance, the big types of fish such as blue fin tuna which live actively tend to need a lot more oxygen compared to the other normal fish. They swim most of the times with their mouths open in order for more water to flow through their gills so that they can absorb and breathe in more oxygen.

In conclusion, the breathing concept varies for both fish and mammals. The difference in the breathing organs is what makes them differ for instance the fish uses gills while other animals use lungs. The air and water are made up of a combination of gases. This is inclusive of oxygen which is the main component that is taken up into the bloodstream for proper body functioning as well as survival.

REFERENCES

Barron, A. B., Maleszka, R., Vander Meer, R. K. & Robinson, G. E. (2007). Octopamine modulates honey bee dance behavior. Proceedings of the national academy of sciences 104(5), 1703-1707

Hmelo-Silver, C. E. Marathe, S., & Liu, L. (2007). Fish swim, rocks sit, and lungs breathe: expert-notiveunderstanding of complex systems. The journal of the Learning Sciences, 16(3), 307-331

Kramer, D. L. (1987). Dissolved oxygen and fish behavior. Environmental biology of fishes, 18(2), 81-92