Biology - Respiratory System Flashcards
What is the respiratory system responsible for?
Inhaling oxygen and exhaling carbon dioxide
what are the 3 main structures that make up this system?
- Lungs
- Bronchi
- Trachea (windpipe)
What is the process of how oxygen is inhaled? (5 steps)
- Air comes in through mouth / nose
- travels down the pharynx (throat)
- then the air goes down the trachea (windpipe)
- divides into 2 branches (1 for each bronchi)
- bronchi leads to the lungs
What are trachea and bronchi covered in?
Cilia
Where is cilia embedded?
A layer of mucus
what does the mucus trap and what does cilia do?
Mucus traps foreign particles and cilia sweeps them away from the lungs
What is it called when bronchi branch?
Bronchioles
where do bronchioles end in?
Tiny sacs called alveoli
What surrounds the alveoli?
capillaries
Where does gas exchange occur in lungs?
Alveoli
Process of gas exchange in lungs (5 stages)
- Bronchi
- Bronchioles
- Alveoli
- Capillaries
- Body cells
What is gas diffusion? (2 key points)
- Oxygen attach to red blood cells that lead back to the heart
- carbon dioxide in the alveoli is blown out
what is diaphragm?
A large sheet of muscle underneath the lungs
when does breathing occur?
when the diaphragm moves, forcing air into and out of the lungs
When does the volume of lungs increase?
Inhalation
