Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 19, 2026

Dual Test Gas Pulmonary Diffusing Capacity Measurement During Exercise in Humans Using the Single-Breath Method
Published on: February 2, 2024
THE TRANSPORT OF GAS BY THE BLOOD OF THE TURTLE
1Laboratories of Physiology in the Harvard Medical School, Boston.
Abstract:
The chief characteristics of the blood of the turtle Pseudemys concinna, considered as a system for the transport of oxygen and carbon dioxide, are its low corpuscular content (10 to 22 per cent by volume) and its high concentration of base bound as bicarbonate. These characteristics account fully for the shape and position of the carbon dioxide dissociation curve, the effect of oxygenation and reduction of the hemoglobin upon the carbon dioxide-combining power of the blood, and the distribution of carbon dioxide between the corpuscles and plasma. The oxygen-combining capacity of the turtle corpuscles does not differ from that of an equal volume of human erythrocytes. The oxygen dissociation curve is similar to that of mammalian blood and is affected in like manner by the quantity of carbon dioxide present. Its exact shape and position depend in part upon the number of corpuscles in the blood; in part its characteristics cannot be attributed to known chemical factors.
More Related Videos
Related Concept Videos
Gas Exchange and Transport
Carbon Dioxide Transport in the Blood
Forms of CO2 Transport
1. Dissolved in plasma: A small percentage (7-10%) of CO2 is transported and dissolved directly in the plasma.
2. Carbaminohemoglobin: Just over 20% of CO2 is chemically bound to...
Respiration and Gaseous Exchange
Respiration involves the exchange of gases, especially oxygen (O2) and carbon dioxide (CO2), between the alveoli and body cells, a process facilitated by blood circulation. As a result, the cardiovascular system, which involves the...
Physical Principles Governing Gas Exchange
Gas Laws Governing Respiration
The behavior of gases is guided by Dalton's Law of partial pressures and Henry's Law.
Dalton's Law asserts that the total pressure exerted by...
External and Internal Respiration
Oxygen Transport in the Blood

