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Biology!142!Spring!2015!
TA:!Boyd!Warwick!Clark!
Exercise!Physiology!
Introduction*
When!people!do!exercise,!the!body!needs!to!consume!more!oxygen,!and!the!temperature!rises.!
Therefore,!the!body!needs!to!intake!more!oxygen,!remove!carbon!dioxide!more!rapidly!and!
maintain!the!blood!pressure!and!the!body!temperature!(near!37C)!at!a!regular!level.!The!
medulla!in!the!brain!at!the!top!of!the!spinal!cord!regulates!the!entire!homeostatic!system,!by!
interpreting!information!from!interoreceptors!(chemoreceptors,!baroreceptors,!and!
proprioceptors)!about!the!bodys!status.!Proprioceptors!in!muscles,!tendons,!and!joints!send!the!
signals!to!medulla!that!the!body!is!doing!exercises.!The!concentration!of!CO2!(respiratory!waste)!
rises,!which!may!lead!to!respiratory!acidosis.!Since!the!body!needs!a!large!amount!of!oxygen,!
the!medulla!sends!signals!to!the!respiratory!system!to!increase!the!depth,!even!the!rate!of!
breathing!to!prevent!the!disastrous!consequence.!Heart!rate!rises!to!provide!oxygenated!blood!
to!and!remove!CO2!from!muscles.!The!rise!in!heart!rate!leads!to!the!increase!in!blood!pressure,!
which!is!sensed!by!baroreceptors.!The!vasomotor!center!receives!the!signal!and!induces!the!
sympathetic!system,!causing!vasodilation.!The!heart!rate,!carbon!dioxide!clearance,!oxygen!
consumption!and!mean!arterial!pressure!were!expected!to!increase!during!exercise!and!
decrease!during!recovery.!Hemoglobin!saturation!and!skin!temperature!were!expected!to!
decline!at!the!start!of!exercise!and!return!to!a!normal!level.! !

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Biologists!and!any!related!persons!can!learn!from!the!results!of!this!experiment!about!how!are!
pulse!rate,!PCO2,!respiration,!blood!pressure,!and!body!temperature!affected!by!exercise,!and!
regulated!by!homeostatic!mechanisms.!Athletes!and!coaches!may!need!the!results!to!modify!
their!training!schedule!according!to!the!homeostatic!mechanism.! !
Methods*
There!were!three!subjects,!all!BIOL142!students,!in!the!lab.!The!data!collected!from!subjects!
were!heart!rate,!hemoglobin!saturation!(both!with!an!oximeter),!respiration!rate,!exhaled!tidal!
O2,!exhaled!tidal!CO2!(all!three!with!a!capnometer),!tidal!volume!(with!a!spirometer),!skin!
temperature!(with!an!oral!thermometer),!and!blood!pressure!(with!a!sphygmomanometer).!
Data!were!collected!every!three!minutes,!when!subjects!were!at!rest,!during!exercise,!and!in!
recovery.! !
The!subjects!ran!on!the!treadmill!at!5!mph.!The!incline!was!increased!every!three!minutes!to!
raise!the!heart!rate!until!the!subjects!reached!80%!of!the!maximum!heart!rate!(usually!taking!
9[15!min).!The!subjects!ran!to!their!limits!to!make!the!lab!controlled.!The!resting!data!points!
are!used!as!control!data,!so!that!the!exercise!data!and!recovery!data!can!be!compared!with!a!
baseline.!All!resting!and!recovery!data!points!were!collected!with!the!subjects!sitting.!The!
resting!phase!took!3!min;!two!data!points!were!collected!(0!min,!and!3!min).!During!exercise,!
data!were!collected!when!the!subjects!were!running!on!a!treadmill,!every!3!minutes.!
Immediately!after!the!exercise!stopped,!hemoglobin!saturation,!temperature!and!blood!
pressure!were!measured.!After!the!subject!had!walked!3!min!cooling!down,!the!first!recovery!
data!points!were!taken.!The!last!data!points!were!collected!after!3!min.!The!recovery!phase!

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lasted!6!min.!Temperature!and!blood!pressure!were!not!measured!in!exercise!phase!since!it!is!
too!difficult!to!take!a!reading!while!the!subjects!were!running.! !
Some!calculation!was!done!after!data!collection!with!the!equations!below:!
Carbon!dioxide!clearance!(L!CO2/min)=(CO2!of!exhaled!air)*!tidal!volume!(L/breath)*!resp.!rate!(bpm)!
Oxygen!consumption!(L!O2/min)=(0.209[!O2!of!exhaled!air)*tidal!volume!(L/breath)*!resp.!rate!(bpm)!
Mean!arterial!pressure=(2/3)*(diastolic!pressure)+(1/3)*(pulse!pressure)!

Results*
Figures!1!to!6!list!changes!in!heart!rate,!carbon!dioxide!clearance,!oxygen!consumption,!
temperature,!hemoglobin!saturation,!and!mean!arterial!pressure.!Each!figure!has!three!lines!for!
the!three!subjects.!All!figures!include!resting,!exercise!and!recovery!data!point.!The!exercise!of!
subjects!1!and!3!ended!after!9!min;!subject!2!stopped!exercise!after!12!min.!As!a!result,!there!
are!breaks!on!the!data!lines!for!subject!1!and!3.!Measurement!of!temperature!and!blood!
pressure!was!taken!in!the!rest,!recovery!and!immediately!after!the!exercise!ended,!instead!of!
being!taken!during!the!exercise.! !

Heart*Rate*(bpm)*

Figure*1:*Changes*in*Heart*Rate*
200!
185!
170!
155!
140!
125!
110!
95!
80!
65!
50!

Subject1!
Subject2!
Subject3!
0!r!

3!r!

3!e!

6!e!
9!e!
Time*(min)

12!e!

3!rec!

6!rec!

*After!the!numbers!on!the!x[axis,!r!is!for!rest;!e!is!for!exercise;!and!rec!is!for!recovery.! !

Heart!rate!increased!rapidly!at!the!start!of!exercise,!and!then!the!rate!of!increase!declined.!
!

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During!the!recovery!period,!heart!rate!decreased!to!a!lower!level!that!was!just!higher!than!

Carbon*Dioxide*
Clearance*(L*CO2/min)

resting!level.! !

2.50!

Figure*2:*Changes*in*Carbon*Dioxide*Clearance

2.00!
1.50!

Subject1!

1.00!

Subject2!

0.50!

Subject3!

0.00!
0!r!

3!r!

3!e!

6!e!
9!e!
Time*(min)

12!e!

3!rec! 6!rec!

*After!the!numbers!on!the!x[axis,!r!is!for!rest;!e!is!for!exercise;!and!rec!is!for!recovery.! !

Carbon!dioxide!clearance!of!subject!2!and!3!increased!significantly!during!exercise!and!

Oxygen*Comsumption************
(L*O2/min)*

decreased!rapidly!in!recovery.!Subject!1!only!had!a!slight!change!in!carbon!dioxide!clearance.!

Figure*3:*Changes*in*Oxygen*Consumption
10!
8!
6!

Subject1!

4!

Subject2!

2!

Subject3!

0!
[2!

0!r!

3!r!

3!e!

6!e!

9!e!

12!e!

3!rec!

6!rec!

Time*(min)

*After!the!numbers!on!the!x[axis,!r!is!for!rest;!e!is!for!exercise;!and!rec!is!for!recovery.! !

Oxygen!consumption!of!subject!1!maintained!a!low!level!that!was!close!to!zero;!that!of!subject!2!
increased!slowly!during!exercise!and!decreased!slowly!in!recovery;!subject!3!had!an!extremely!
high!value!6!minutes!after!starting!exercise,!and!the!other!points!had!similar!trend!as!the!points!
of!subject!2.! !

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Temperature*( C)

Figure*4:*Changes*in*Temperature**
37!
36.8!
36.6!
36.4!
36.2!
36!
35.8!
35.6!
35.4!
35.2!
35!

Subject1!
Subject2!
Subject3!
0!r!

3!r!

stop!
Time*(min)

3!rec!

6!rec!

*After!the!numbers!on!the!x[axis,!r!is!for!rest;!and!rec!is!for!recovery.!stop!means!that!the!data!was!
taken!immediately!after!the!subject!stop!exercise.! !

Skin!temperature!decreased!after!exercise!and!increased!during!recovery.! !

Hemoglobin*Saturation*
(%)

Figure*5:*Changes*in*Hemoglobin*Saturation

100!
95!
90!
85!
80!
75!
70!

Subject1!
Subject2!
Subject3!
0!r!

3!r!

3!e!

6!e!

9!e!
12!e!
Time*(min)

stop!

3!rec!

6!rec!

*After!the!numbers!on!the!x[axis,!r!is!for!rest;!e!is!for!exercise;!and!rec!is!for!recovery.!stop!means!
that!the!data!was!taken!immediately!after!the!subject!stop!exercise.! !

Hemoglobin!saturation!decreased!significantly!at!the!start!of!the!exercise!and!kept!increasing!
during!exercise.!It!returned!to!the!original!level!in!recovery.!

Mean*Arterial*Pressure*
(mmHg)

Figure*6:*Changes*in*Mean*Arterial*Pressure

107!
104!
101!
98!
95!
92!
89!
86!
83!
80!

Subject1!
Subject2!
Subject3!
0!r!

3!r!

stop!
Time*(min)

3!rec!

6!rec!

!
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*After!the!numbers!on!the!x[axis,!r!is!for!rest;!and!rec!is!for!recovery.!stop!means!that!the!data!was!
taken!immediately!after!the!subject!stop!exercise.! !

Mean!arterial!pressure!increased!significantly!after!exercise,!and!then!recovered!to!a!lower!
level.! !
Discussion*
In! general,! the! results! supported! the! hypothesis.! A! human! need! a! larger! blood! supply! and! O2!
supply!and!has!a!vast!amount!of!CO2!waste!need!to!be!removed.!The!central!nervous!system!in!
medulla! integrates! inputs! from! proprioceptors,! chemoreceptors,! and! baroreceptors! and!
activates! different! motor! neurons! to! control! organs! and! tissues.! The! cardiovascular! control!
center! regulates! homeostasis! in! the! cardiovascular! system.! It! generates! motor! output! that!
affects! heart! rate! and! vessel! diameter,! which! negate! any! changes! away! from! homeostasis.!
During! exercise,! proprioceptors! detect! the! high! muscle! activity! and! send! inputs! to! the!
cardiovascular!control!center.!The!cardioacceleratory!center!then!activates!sympathetic!motor!
neurons!connecting!to!the!heart!and!vessels.!Then!heart!rate!will!rise,!and!vasoconstriction!will!
happen!that!decreases!vessel!diameter!and!increases!blood!pressure.!
Therefore,! the! subjects! were! predicted! to! have! higher! heart! rate! and! higher! blood! pressure!
during! exercise.! In! the! recovery! phase,! heart! rate! and! blood! pressure! returned! to! a! low! level,!
which!was!a!little!higher!than!the!data!at!rest!since!the!subjects!need!more!time!to!recover.!The!
results! of! heart! rate! and! mean! arterial! pressure! strongly! supported! the! hypothesis.! The! three!
data!lines!of!the!subjects!for!each!graph!matched!a!lot!and!acted!just!as!predicted.! !
The!respiratory!neural!circuits!work!in!a!similar!way.!The!pH!of!the!blood!in!the!human!body!
needs!to!be!around!7.4,!which!is!associated!with!the!amount!of!CO2!in!the!blood.!If!the!CO2!level!

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is!too!high,!proton!level!increases!and!pH!drops.!To!prevent!hypercapnia!and!acidosis,!the!body!
needs!to!increase!the!respiratory!rate!to!remove!CO2.!Proprioceptors!detect!muscle!action!and!
chemoreceptors! detect! O2! or! CO2! level! of! blood.! The! control! center! increases! the! respiratory!
rate!to!remove!CO2!and!maintain!O2!levels!and!pH.! !
Therefore,!the!subjects!are!predicted!to!have!a!higher!CO2!clearance!level!and!higher!O2!
consumption!during!exercises!and!return!to!normal!in!recovery.!The!results!of!subject!2!and!3!
supported!the!expectation!except!one!point!of!subject!1.!Besides,!subject!1s!CO2!clearance!and!
O2!consumption!maintained!at!a!very!low!level!during!exercise,!even!lower!than!resting!values.!
The!exception!may!due!to!errors!in!collecting!data.!In!the!future!experiment,!equipment!should!
be!examined!carefully!before!the!lab.! !
Muscle!action!needs!energy.!Carbonate!and!fat!are!burnt!to!support!muscle!movement,!which!
produce!heat.!Also,!the!cardiovascular!system!and!the!respiratory!system!are!running!at!a!high!
level,!which!produce!heat.!Therefore,!the!temperature!was!predicted!to!increase!during!exercise.!
However,!the!results!did!not!support!the!prediction.!Temperature!of!all!subjects!dropped!during!
exercise!and!rose!in!the!recovery!phase.!The!body!also!loses!heat!through!evaporation!
(sweating)!and!respiration.!Then!the!speed!of!losing!heat!is!higher!than!that!of!producing!heat.!
This!is!the!reason!that!the!subjects!had!a!lower!temperature!during!exercise.! !
Hemoglobin!carries!O2!to!body!tissues!from!the!lungs!and!returns!CO2!back!to!the!lungs.!The!
hemoglobin!saturation!was!expected!to!drop!when!the!subjects!started!exercising,!due!to!the!
growing!demand!for!O2!of!the!body!during!exercise.!The!respiratory!rate!increased!to!bring!O2!
into!the!body!at!a!higher!speed,!which!gives!hemoglobin!chances!to!recovery!and!increase!the!
saturation.!After!exercise,!the!data!value!recovers!to!a!high!level!(close!to!100%).!The!results!of!
!

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hemoglobin!saturation!strongly!supported!the!hypothesis.!All!data!lines!matched.! !
In!conclusion,!the!human!body!has!higher!heart!rate,!higher!CO2!clearance,!higher!O2!
consumption,!lower!skin!temperature,!lower!hemoglobin!saturation!and!higher!blood!pressure.!
Athletes!may!want!to!increase!their!endurance!by!having!relatively!lower!O2!consumption!and!a!
lower!heart!rate!during!exercise.! !
Reference*

Martini, Frederic H. & Nath, Judi L. 2012. Fundamentals of anatomy & physiology, Ninth
Edition
Waters,!John.!2012.!Fainting!tutorial.!Laboratory!handout.!

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