Lungs & Gas Exchange Flashcards
1
Q
Which organ system are the lungs part of?
A
Respiratory system
2
Q
Which structures connect the bronchi to the alveoli?
A
Bronchioles
3
Q
What are the tiny air sacs in the lungs called?
A
Alveoli
4
Q
What is the name of the process by which oxygen moves through the wall of the alveoli, into the blood?
A
Diffusion
5
Q
how are alveoli adapted for gas exchange (3)
A
- Their walls are only one cell thick - provides a short distance for diffusion
- There are many of them - large total surface area
- moist - allows the gases to dissolve, and therefore diffuse more easily
6
Q
Which gas diffuses from the blood in the capillaries, into the air in the alveoli?
A
Carbon dioxide
7
Q
how does oxygen diffuse into the bloodstream?
A
Oxygen passes down its concentration gradient from the alveoli, into the bloodstream.
8
Q
Which substance inside red blood cells does oxygen bind to?
A
Haemoglobin
9
Q
True of false? Carbon dioxide is transported around the body dissolved in the blood plasma.
A
True
