Respiratory System Flashcards
Why do cells require oxygen?
To carry out cellular respiration
What does cellular respiration produce?
Carbon dioxide which must be removed from the body
What is the function of the respiratory system?
Is to obtain oxygen from air that releases carbon dioxide into it.
What does the respiratory consist of?
Of lungs and other organs that connect the lungs to the atmosphere outside the body.
Where passage does air take?
Enters in through the nose, mouth, and passes through the pharynx (throat) and then into the (trachea windpipe)
What does the trachea separate into? What do they do?
The trachea separates into two branches called bronchi which further branch into bronchioles that deliver air throughout the lung.
What do the epithelial cells that line the trachea and bronchi produce? What is this similar to?
Produce mucus, similar to the digestive system
What are the small hair like projections on the cels called? What do they do?
Called cilia, sweep the mucus and trapped foreign material out of the system
What is the main purpose of the respiratory system?
gas exchange
How many times does the bronchi branch out?
Again and again, until they end in tiny air sacs called alveoli
What are the alveolus surrounded by?
Surrounded by a network of tiny blood vessels called capillaries
What causes gas exchange?
Caused by diffusion, the movement of material from an area of high concentration to an area of low concentration
What happens while blood is passing through the capillaries?
Carbon dioxide is being released into the alveolus
When the carbon dioxide is in the alveolus what does it do?
The alveolus fills up with carbons dioxide so it pushes blood out the capillaries.
How is air moved into the lungs?
Inhalation
