The Respiratory System Flashcards
What is meant by inspiration?
Breathing in
What is meant by expiration?
Breathing out
Why is tracheal cartilage C Shaped?
To allow food to travel down the oesophagus
What is the role of the intercostal muscles and the diaphragm during inspiration?
the intercostal muscles pull the rib cage upwards and outwards and the diaphragm flattens inwards
What happens as a result of the rib cage moving upwards and outwards and the diaphragm flattening?
an increase in volume and a decrease in pressure which forces air into the lungs so that they inflate
What is the role of the intercostal muscles and the diaphragm during expiration?
the diaphragm lifts back into a dome shape and the intercostal muscles pull the ribcage inwards and downwards
What happens as a result of expiration making the intercostal muscles move inwards and downwards and the diaphragm being in a dome shape?
These two movements force carbon dioxide out of the lungs and they deflate
What are pleural membranes?
they cover the outside of the lungs and line the inside of the chest wall
What is the function of pleural membranes?
they allow the lungs to move easily within the chest cavity
What are alveoli?
sacs found in clusters at the end of bronchioles
What is the function of alveoli?
gaseous exchange (through diffusion)
What does diffusion in the alveoli allow?
oxygen to move in and out of the alveoli to the capillaries and into the booodstream, the carbon dioxide to move out of the capillaries and into the the alveoli to the lungs to be exhaled
What is diffusion?
The movement of molecules from a high concentration to a low concentration
What is gaseous exchange?
the process that involves the exchange of oxygen and carbon dioxide between capillaries and alveoli
What is cellular respiration?
A set of chemical reactions and processes that take place in the mitochondria
