Big phenomenon

in a teeny tiny package! 

Oxygen Transport Champions

Wondering about common things, like hummingbirds, can lead to amazing questions about metabolism, muscles, homeostasis, and evolution.  How convenient that their fall migration coincides with some often taught first quarter biology concepts. Shorter days, cooler temperatures (in some areas), and fewer flowers trigger chemical messaging that results in the migration of hummingbirds from northern areas. Traveling 23 miles per day, and sometimes 22 hours at a time, the metabolism needs are extraordinary. Considering that they

• eat 1.5 to 3 times their body weight each day
• can take 250 breaths per minute (even at rest!)
• have an oxygen consumption per gram of muscle tissue 10 times higher than human athlete when birds are in flight
• can take 250 breaths per minute (even at rest!)

makes you wonder, "how can this bird that can way only as much as 3 paper clips do it?" One factor contributing to their success is the oxygen-binding efficiency of their hemoglobin.

This story of hummingbird hemoglobin gets even more interesting when you start wondering about genes in different species of hummingbirds and their elevation ranges. The broad-tailed hummingbird in North America seeks out habitat above 10,000 feet in elevation. And the giant hummingbird, Patagona gigas, lives in the Andes at 14,000 feet. Okay, giant hummingbird, sounds like an oxymoron but its a giant among hummingbirds. It still weighs only four-fifths of an ounce, or 24 paper clips. Areas of definite oxygen limitations AND cold temperatures. Oh, now we get to wonder about thermoregulation and homeostasis!  Check out these articles below to learn more, and keep wondering about other amazing stories to be told. 

McGuire J., Witt C., Altshuler D. & Remsen J.V. (2007). Phylogenetic Systematics and Biogeography of Hummingbirds: Bayesian and Maximum Likelihood Analyses of Partitioned Data and Selection of an Appropriate Partitioning Strategy, Systematic Biology, 56 (5) 837-856. doi:10.1080/10635150701656360 [OA]

Appenzeller, Otto & Witt, Christopher. (2017). Human and Hummingbird Hemoglobin Concentrations and Metabolic Rhythms at Altitude Determined with Statistical Modeling. Journal of Biometrics & Biostatistics. 8. 10.4172/2155-6180.1000373. 

Breathe Easy

We've got resources to teach

about oxygen transport

The following materials and models engage students in investigating human hemoglobin and can beautifully support storylines related to sickle cell anemia or other stories related to oxygen transport.

From exploring the question “Why do we breathe?” to illustrating the structure of hemoglobin, the cause of sickle cell anemia and the physiology of oxygen transport, our colorful Hemoglobin Poster^© will spark new inquiry among your students. 

ß-globin becomes real in your students’ hands as they fold mini toober fragments into a 3-D protein model using the ß-Globin Folding Kit^©. Your students will discuss oxygen transport as they attach O2 to the iron in the heme group and then explore how a single mutation causes sickle cell anemia. This advanced protein-folding kit reinforces lessons introduced in 3DMD’s Amino Acid Starter Kit^©, The folded model makes a fabulous conversation starter when displayed during parent-teacher conferences or classroom observations.

 Students can discover eukaryotic gene features such as triplet codons, reading frames, or introns and exons as they explore the Map of the Human ß-Globin Gene©.