Would you expect hemoglobin from a llama, a species native to the high elevation of Andes of south america, to have a higher or lower oxygen affinity than human hemoglobin? Explain.
Answer : The llama hemoglobin has a higher affinity for O2 than human hemoglobin
Llama hemoglobin would be advantageous at high altitudes because it can become 100 percent saturated at the low PO2 of the high-altitude environment. Therefore the hemoglobin can carry a full load of O2 to the tissues
The total atmospheric pressure at higher altitude decreases relative to sea level (760mmHg). As a result, the partial pressure of oxygen decreases at higher altitude. This decreases the partial pressure differences between air breathing organisms, which limits oxygen intake at higher altitudes relative to sea level. Higher altitude does changes the percent of oxygen in air, which is 21%.
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