Importance of the Skeletal System

Protection
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Your bones provide a rigid framework that supports and protects your organs, like the brain, heart and lungs.

Movement
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Your muscles, their attachments and your bones form the musculoskeletal system. Without it, movement would be impossible.

Acid Regulation
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The skeleton also absorbs and releases mineral salts to prevent major changes in the acidity of the blood, which can be dangerous to the body.

Blood Cell Production

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Bone marrow produces red as well as white blood cells.

Storage of Minerals
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Calcium and phosphorus are stored in your bones when excess amounts are present in the blood and released back into the blood when you need them.

Frog and a Human Respiratory System

Discuss the differences in the mechanics of respiration. Mammals have a sheet of muscle called a diaphragm that is attached to the ribs and the bottom of the lungs. When the diaphragm contracts, it expands the chest cavity and the difference in air pressure sucks air into the lungs. Frogs do not have a diaphragm, and instead they pump air in and out of the lungs by expanding and contracting their throat sac. Discuss the differences in the skin of frogs and humans. Frogs have a moist, permeable skin, which can transfer gasses such as carbon dioxide and oxygen. Humans have dry skin that is impermeable to gas exchange, so almost all gas exchange takes place in the lungs. This means human lungs must be more efficient than frog lungs.
Frogs: Amphibians (who have a secondary mode of respiration) do not have lungs like us, but they have a different type of lung called faveolar (faviform) which is a specific lung but has a less defined lung system and are all found on the lung sac. This system is not very efficient because they cannot get oxygen through other means. The lungs are long and slender but only the anterior portion participates in gas exchange. The posterior section is called a saccular portion and acts as a bellow to help move air in and out. Amphibian diving frogs have a sphincter at the base of the pulmonary trunk that contracts so they do not waste sending blood flow to the lungs so they do not waste oxygen when they are underwater. They have a sinus venosus, an anatomically divided atrium, a single un-divided ventricle, and a conus arteriosus with a spiral valve. The undivided ventricle creates the potential to mix oxygen with carbon dioxide, but the heart muscles create channels to prevent this (80% efficient). Humans: the respiratory system can be subdivided into an upper respiratory tract and a lower respiratory tract based on anatomical features. The upper respiratory tract includes the nasal passages, pharynx and the larynx, while the lower respiratory tract is comprised of the trachea, the primary bronchi and lungs. The

respiratory system can also be divided into physiological, or functional, zones. These include the conducting zone (the region for gas transport from the outside atmosphere to just above the alveoli), the transitional zone, and the respiratory zone (the alveolar region where gas exchange occurs). The right side of the heart pumps blood from the right ventricle through the pulmonary semilunar valve into the pulmonary trunk. The trunk branches into right and left pulmonary arteries to the pulmonary blood vessels. The vessels generally accompany the airways and also undergo numerous branchings. Once the gas exchange process is complete in the pulmonary capillaries, blood is returned to the left side of the heart through four pulmonary veins, two from each side. The pulmonary circulation has a very low resistance, due to the short distance within the lungs, compared to the systemic circulation, and for this reason, all the pressures within the pulmonary blood vessels are normally low as compared to the pressure of the systemic circulation loop.

What is the difference between frog lungs and human lungs?

Frogs' lungs are very small compared to the total abdominal capacity, while our lungs take up almost half of our abdomen. This is because the frog can breathe through its skin.

5) The skin and its appendages, such as hair and nails, make up the integumentary system. The word
integumentary comes from Latin, meaning "to cover," and that is the skin's main purpose -- to keep the world out and our internal organs protected. By its very nature, skin does not help us breathe. The skin is the largest organ, making up about 12 to 15 percent of our body weight [source: Maricopa]. In addition to protection from outside toxins, skin offers temperature regulation and sensory reception.
Humans cannot breathe through their skin because they are large organisms. Smaller organisms, such as frogs or flatworms, are able to absorb oxygen through their skin because the oxygen doesn't have to travel fr from the surface of the skin. It also has to do with the fact that human skin isn't as moist as the skin of frogs, etc., and moist skin is required for transdermal breathing.