Respiratory system Flashcards
oxygen
a gas in the air (and water) that animals need to breathe in; made up of particles with two oxygen atoms. Plants produce oxygen as part of photosynthesis.
cellular respiration
the chemical reaction involving oxygen that moves the energy in glucose into the compound ATP. The body is able to use the energy contained in ATP.
glucose
a simple carbohydrate and the simplest form of sugar
carbon dioxide
a gas in the air produced by respiration and used by plants as part of photosynthesis. The burning of fossil fuels releases carbon dioxide.
respiratory
system the body system involving the lungs and associated structures, which take in air and supply the blood with oxygen to deliver to the body’s cells so they can carry out their essential functions; it also performs gas exchange to remove the waste gas carbon dioxide
trachea
narrow tube from the mouth to the lungs through which air moves
lungs
the organ for breathing air. Gas exchange occurs in the lungs.
bronchi
the narrow tubes through which air passes from the trachea to the smaller bronchioles and alveoli in the respiratory system.
bronchioles
small branching tubes in the lungs leading from the two larger bronchi to the alveoli
alveoli
tiny air sacs in the lungs at the ends of the narrowest tubes. Oxygen moves from alveoli into the surrounding blood vessels, in exchange for carbon dioxide.
pulmonary vein
the vessel through which oxygenated blood travels from your lungs to the heart
aorta
a large artery through which oxygenated blood is pumped at high pressure from the left ventricle of the heart to the body
pulmonary artery
the vessel through which deoxygenated blood, carrying wastes from respiration, travels from the heart to the lungs
diaphragm
flexible, dome-shaped, muscular layer separating the chest and the abdomen. It is involved in breathing.
