Respiratory System Flashcards
what is the best description of respiration from an anatomists point of view?
act of inhalation and exhalation of air
how do respiratory gases move into the blood vessels and body tissues/
gas diffusion
what are the 6 methods of gas exchange/respiration?
simple diffusion respiration through skin papulae on body surface tracheae on body surface gills alveoli
what are the 4 key features of a respiratory membrane?
thin (short diffusion pathway) moist surface (gas must be dissolved in liquid to pass through cell membrane) highly vascular (vertebrates) some contact with the external environment
what are gills?
an aquatic respiratory organ
how do gills increase surface area for gas diffusion?
project into the water
what are the 2 types of gills?
simple
complex
where are simple gills seen?
papulae on echinoderms (starfish)
where are complex gills seen?
in fish
what are the 2 chambers of complex gills?
buccal cavity and opercular cavity
what is countercurrent flow in gills?
water flows through gills in one direction and blood moves the opposite way
what is the aim of countercurrent flow in gills?
to increase diffusion gradient and maximise oxyge diffusion into the blood
describe the movement of water through gills
operculum are closed so water is drawn into the buccal cavity through the mouth.
mouth is closed and operculum opens where water then flows out over the gills
what are the gill filaments?
highly vascular, thin membranes on the caudal edge of the gill which allow gas exchange to happen quickly
what is the name for the external opening of the tracheae in insects?
spiracle
what are tracheae?
extensive network of tubes throughout a air breathing animals body that fill with air to allow gas exchange
what does air move through to reach the alveoli?
branched tubular structures
what happens to the air before it reaches the respiratory surface?
becomes saturated with water
where is the large surface area for gas exchange located in the lungs?
alveoli
what shape is the mammalian thorax?
irregular cylinder with 2 openings
what is the thoracic cavity enclosed by?
walls, mostly skeletal
what are the 3 main compartments of the mammalian thorax?
media stinum
2 pleural cavities
by what type of joint are the ribs joined to the vertebra?
synovial
how many rib pairs are there in humans?
12