The Effects Of Exercise And Sports Performance On The Respiratory System

Question 1

Nasal Cavity

Answer 1

Air enters via the nostrils. The air is warmed and moistened before it passes into the nasopharynx. A sticky mucous layer traps smaller foreign particles, which tiny hairs called cilia transport to the pharynx to be swallowed.

Question 2

Pharynx

Answer 2

Commonly called the throat, it is a small tube. The funnel-shaped pharynx connects the nasal cavity and mouth to the larynx (air) and oesphagus (food). It is a passageway for food as well as air, so special adaptations are required to prevent choking when food or liquid is swallowed.

Question 3

Larynx or voice box

Answer 3

Rigid walls of muscle and cartilage, contains the vocal cords and connects the pharynx to the trachea. It extends for about 5cm from the level of the third to sixth vertebrae

Question 4

Trachea

Answer 4

The trachea is the start of the lower respiratory tract. It contains rings of cartilage to prevent it from collapsing, and it’s flexible. It travels down the neck in front of the oesophagus and branches into the right and led to bronchi.

Question 5

Epiglottis

Answer 5

Small flap of cartilage at the back of the tongue which closes the top of the trachea when you swallow to ensure food and drink pass into your stomach and not your lungs.

Question 6

Bronchi

Answer 6

The bronchi branch off the trachea and carry air to the lungs. By the time inhaled air reaches the bronchi, it is warm, clear of most impurities and saturated with water vapour.

Question 7

Bronchioles

Answer 7

Small airways that extend from the bronchi and connect the bronchi to small clusters of thin-walled air sacs, known as alveoli.

Question 8

Alveoli

Answer 8

Tiny air sacs responsible for the transfer of oxygen into the blood and the removal of waste such as carbon dioxide out of the blood. Known as gaseous exchange

Question 9

Diaphragm

Answer 9

A flat muscle that is located beneath the lungs within the thoracic cavity and separates the chest from the abdomen. The diaphragm is one of several components involved in breathing.

Question 10

Thoracic cavity

Answer 10

This is the chamber of the chest that is protected by the thoracic wall (rib cage). It is separated from the abdominal cavity by the diaphragm.

Question 11

Internal and external intercostal muscles

Answer 11

• The intercostal muscles lie inside the rib cage. They draw the ribs downwards and inwards, decreasing the volume of the chest cavity and forcing air out of the lungs when breathing out.
• The external intercostal muscles lie outside the rib cage. They pull the ribs upwards and outwards, increasing the volume of the chest cavity and drawing air into the lungs when breathing in.

Question 12

Neural control

Answer 12

Breathing is a complex process that is largely under involuntary control by the respiratory centres of your brain. This process is controlled by the neurones in the brain stem. Neurones in two areas of the medulla oblongata are critical in respiration

Question 13

Chemical control

Answer 13

Sensors responding to such chemical fluctuations are called CHEMORECEPTORS. These are found in the medulla and in the AORTIC ARCH and CAROTID ARTERIES. These chemoreceptors detect changes in blood carbon dioxide levels as well as changes in blood acidity, and send signals to the medulla that will make changes to breathing rates.

Question 14

Tidal volume

Answer 14

The volume of air breathed in and out with each breath. Under normal conditions this represents about 500cm3 of air breathed, both inhaled and exhaled

Question 15

Responses of the respiratory system to a single sport or exercise session

Answer 15

1) increased breathing rate

2) increased tidal volume

Question 16

Adaptations of the respiratory system to exercise

Answer 16

1) increased vital capacity
2) increased strength of respiratory muscles
3) increase in oxygen and carbon dioxide diffusion rate

Question 17

Additional factors affecting the respiratory system

Answer 17

Asthma- common condition where the airways of the respiratory system can become restricted, making it harder for air to enter the body, resulting in coughing, wheezing or shortness of breath

• Effects of altitude/partial pressure on the respiratory system