Respiratory system Flashcards
What are the features of the respiratory system (8)
Nasal cavity, Mouth, Trachea, Alveoli, Bronchiole, Bronchus, Lung, Diaphragm
What are the five stages of the passage of air into the lungs
1) Air enters the body and is warmed as it travels through the mouth and nose.
2) It then enters the trachea.
3) The trachea divides into two bronchi. One bronchus enters each lung.
4) Each bronchus branches out into smaller tubes called bronchioles. Air travels through these bronchioles.
5) At the end of the bronchioles, the air enters one of the many millions of alveoli where gaseous exchange takes place.
What is breathing
Breathing is the term given to the process of taking air into and out of the lungs.
What feature of the body are used during inhalation and exhalation (4)
Sternocleidomastoid, lungs, diaphragm, intercostals
Where are the intercostals found and what do they do
Between the ribs and they control the rib movement
What is inspiration
Breathing in
What is expiration
Breathing out
What happens to the diaphragm during inspiration
The diaphragm contracts and moves downwards.
What happens to the intercostal muscles during inspiration
They contract and move the ribs upwards and outwards
What decreases the air pressure in the lungs
Inspiration
What happens to the diaphragm during expiration
The diaphragm relaxes and moves back to its domed shape
What happens to the intercostal muscles during inspiration
The intercostal muscles relax so the ribs move inwards and downwards under their own weight.
What increases the air pressure in the lungs
Expiration
When exercise begins what can inspiration be assisted by and what does it do
The pectoral muscles and the sternocleidomastoid which help to lift the ribs up and out even further.
What happens during exercise to expiration
A passive process of relaxation becomes active as the abdominal muscles pull the ribs downwards and inwards even further.
Where does gaseous exchange occur
At the alveoli in the lungs
What does gaseous exchange take place by
Diffusion
What are the alveoli surrounded by
Capillaries
What do the capillaries surrounding the alveoli allow
Oxygen and carbon dioxide to diffuse between the air in the alveoli and the blood in the capillaries.
What is diffusion
The movement of gas from an area of high concentration to an area of low concentration.
What concentration of oxygen is it in the alveoli
High
What concentration of carbon dioxide is it in the alveoli
Low
What does the concentration of the oxygen in the alveoli mean
Oxygen can diffuse from the alveoli into the blood
What concentration of carbon dioxide is it in the blood
High
What doe the concentration of carbon dioxide in the alveoli and blood mean
Carbon dioxide diffuses from the blood into the alveoli
Oxygen and Carbon dioxide are capable of combing with an iron-rich protein called what
Haemoglobin
What is haemoglobin and what does it do
It is a substance in a red blood cell. Haemoglobin carries oxygen to be exchanged at the working muscle and carbon dioxide to be exchanged at the lung.
What happens as the blood moves through the capillaries
As the blood moves through the capillaries in the alveoli, oxygen diffuses into it and carbon dioxide diffuses out of it
How thick is the capillaries and alveoli
Both the capillaries and alveoli walls are very thin - just one cell thick
What membranes are the capillaries and alveoli made from and what does this allow
They are made of semi-permeable membranes which allow oxygen and carbon dioxide to pass through them.
Describe the process of gaseous exchange at the muscles.
In the muscle there is a high concentration of carbon dioxide and in the bloodstream there is a high concentration of oxygen.
Oxygen diffuses from the bloodstream into the muscles and carbon dioxide diffuses into the blood from the muscles.
What is tidal volume
The amount of air breathed in with each normal breath
What is the average tidal volume
0.5 litres (500 ml)
What is Inspiratory reserve volume
The maximum amount of additional air that can be taken into the lungs after a normal breath.
What is Residual volume
The amount of air left in the lungs after a maximal out breath. This air helps to keep the lungs partially inflated to protect the microscopic structures from being damaged.
What is Expiratory reserve volume
The maximum amount of additional air that can be forced out of the lungs after a normal breath.
How can different lung volumes be shown
Spirometry trace.
What happens to tidal volume during exercise and why
During exercise, tidal volume increases as the depth of breathing increases and the rate of breathing increases too. This has the effect of taking more oxygen into the body and removing more carbon dioxide.
What does the cardio-respiratory work together for
To get oxygen to the working muscles and remove carbon dioxide from the body.
What happens to the muscles during exercise
During exercise the muscles need more oxygen in order to contract and they produce more carbon dioxide as a waste product.
What happens to the breathing depth due to the increased demand of oxygen by muscles
The breathing depth (tidal volume) and rate (frequency) increase this gets more oxygen into the lungs and removes more carbon dioxide out of the lungs.
What happens to the heart rate due to the increased demand of oxygen by muscles
Heart rate increases – this increases the rate that oxygen is transported from the blood to the working muscles and carbon dioxide is transported from the working muscles to the lungs.
What is a person’s average resting heart rate
Around 60 bpm
What is a person’s average heart rate at the start of exercise
There is a steep increase and a person’s heart rate reaches 145 bpm
