Linking structure and function in the vertebrate respiratory system: A tribute to August Krogh

High rates of pulmonary gas exchange require three things: 1) that gases at the contact surface of the lung's capillaries are replenished rapidly from the environment; 2) that this surface is large and thin; 3) that the capillaries are effectively perfused with blood. In spite of this uniform requirement, lungs have evolved complex and highly diverse architectures, but we have a poor understanding of the drivers of this diversity. Here, I briefly discuss some of the diversity in gross anatomical features directing airflow in avian and non-avian reptiles. I also review new insights into the cellular anatomy of the blood-gas barrier, which in mammals is composed of specialized endothelial as well as epithelial cells.