NEET2021ZoologyOrganisms and PopulationsActual
Assertion (A): A person goes to high altitude and experiences 'altitude sickness' with symptoms like breathing difficulty and heart palpitations. Reason (R): Due to low atmospheric pressure at high altitude, the body does not get sufficient oxygen. In the light of the above statements, choose the correct answer from the options given below.
Options
- ABoth (A) and (R) are true and (R) is the correct explanation of (A)
- BBoth (A) and (R) are true but (R) is not the correct explanation of (A)
- C(A) is true but (R) is false
- D(A) is false but (R) is true
Correct answer
A. Both (A) and (R) are true and (R) is the correct explanation of (A)
Step-by-step solution
Altitude sickness (AMS) is experienced by a person at a high altitude where the body does not get enough oxygen due to low atmospheric pressure and causes nausea, fatigue and heart palpitations. Under these conditions, the body increases RBC production, decreases the binding capacity of haemoglobin and increases breathing rate. These physiological adaptations allow organisms to respond quickly to stressful conditions.