The Respiratory SystemLara, Lizzie, Jeff and Matt

Key Parts of the Respiratory System

● Pharynx - a passageway that pushes food the the esophagus and prevents air from being

swallowed.

● Epiglottis - a skinny part of cartilage that covers the trachea during swallowing.

● Trachea - tube going from the larynx and branching into the left and right main bronchi.

● Lungs - move oxygen into the body and remove carbon dioxide.

● Bronchioles - the main passways into the lungs in the bronchus.

● Alveoli - an air cell in the lung formed by the dilation of air passageways and absorbs air into

the blood.

● Diaphragm - a thin dome shaped muscle that helps you breath and separates the lungs from

the intestines and stomach.

What is the main function of the respiratory system?

The respiratory system is responsible for oxygenating blood and getting rid of carbon dioxide. Without the respiratory system the other systems of the body could not function.

How does air get into the lungs? What is the role of the diaphragm?

● As the lungs expand air is sucked in through the mouth and the nose. Track is as follows: Nose/Mouth - windpipe - bronchial tubes - air sacs (alveoli).

● The diaphragm is a dome shaped sheet of muscle that separates the chest cavity and abdomen. As the muscle contracts air is drawn into the lungs.

Source: http://www.medicinenet.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=2983

What are the main structures of the lungs that are involved in getting oxygen to the rest of the body? What is the structure, function, and location of the alveoli?

● Inside each lung, air moves through finer and finer branchings of the “bronchial tree”, airways known as bronchioles.

● Respiratory bronchioles end in cup-shaped alveoli, connected to the bronchial tree by alveolar ducts

● Alveolar ducts act as a short passageway from the bronchioles to alveoli

● Alveoli are found at the end of bronchioles, for that way there is more space for a greater number of alveoli to exist.

Alveoli, continued

● Alveoli are found in clusters/pouches called alveolar sacs.

● Alveolar sacs provide large amounts of surface area, and are lined with tiny pulmonary capillaries (see image)

● This creates a greater area for gas exchange into the bloodstream.

Source: http://education-portal.com/academy/lesson/alveoli-function-definition-sacs.html#lesson

How does gas exchange takes place in the lungs at the alveolar level?

● Oxygen and carbon dioxide passively diffuse across the alveoli walls in response to partial pressure gradients.

● An inward-directed gradient for oxygen is maintained with the assistance of hemoglobin molecules which bond to oxygen and form oxyhemoglobin (HbO2).

● The amount of HbO2 that forms depends on oxygen partial pressure. (The higher the pressure, the greater the oxygen concentration will be.)

● Carbon dioxide diffuses into the blood capillaries in any tissue where its partial pressure is higher than it is in the blood flowing past.

● Oxygen and carbon dioxide are moved by diffusion between the alveoli and pulmonary capillaries adjacent to them.

● A different pressure gradient helps keep the lungs close to the thoracic cavity wall during during the respiratory cycle even though exhalation. When that cavity expands so do the lungs as a result of a pressure gradient across the lung wall.

Source: http://biology.clc.uc.edu/courses/bio171/circulatory.htm.

Which components of blood are specifically related to gas exchange, and transport of gases?

● Gas Exchange is the delivery of oxygen from the lungs to the bloodstream and the

elimination of carbon dioxide from the bloodstream to the lungs.

● This occurs in the capillaries that lie within the walls of the alveoli. Oxygen and Carbon

dioxide diffuse between the alveolar and capillary thin membrane.

● Carbon dioxide diffuses into the blood capillaries in any tissue where its partial pressure is

higher than it is in the blood flowing past.

● The oxygen attaches onto red blood cells which are then taken to the heart. The carbon

dioxide moves into the lungs and are blown out of the body in the next exhalation.

o Red Blood Cells transport oxygen from the lungs to the tissues of the body.

What are the main components of blood?

● Blood is mainly composed of red and white blood cells, as well as platelets and plasma. -Red blood cells are large cells without nuclei. These cells transport oxygen from the lungs to all other tissues in the body, while removing carbon dioxide from these tissues. -White blood cells make up about 1% of blood cell content. They are the first to respond in the body’s immune system, and identify/bind to alien proteins in cells from outside of the body. -Platelets are cells without nuclei that work at the clotting site of wounds, and clot at the point of injury to stop bleeding. -Plasma is a relatively clear liquid composed of sugars, fats, and a salt solution. It carries the red and white cells, as well as platelets.

Source: "Blood Components." Anthro Palomr EDU. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Nov. 2014.

<http://anthro.palomar.edu/ blood/blood_components.htm>.

How is the respiratory system is related to/connected with the circulatory system?

The respiratory system oxygenates blood and sends it to the heart where the circulatory system uses it to supply the body with oxygen.

Components of the circulatory system that connects with the respiratory system:

-Cranial Vena Cava is the large vein which returns blood to the heart from the head, neck and uber limbs.

-Pulmonary Artery carries blood with low levels of oxygen from the right ventricle of the heart to the lungs for

more oxygen.

-Pulmonary Vein carries oxygenated blood from the lungs to the atrium of the heart.

-Right Ventricle is the lower right chamber of the heart that receives deoxygenated blood from the right atrium

and pumps it into the lungs via the pulmonary artery.

-Left Atrium receives oxygenated blood from the lungs and pumps it down into the left ventricle which delivers

it to the body.

Visual AspectThis creative aspect to our project

represents the lungs and diaphragm. As diaphragm is pulled down or expands, the lungs exhale, and as the diaphragm is pushed up or contracted, the lungs breathe in. This is a simple visual demonstration of the main aspects of the respiratory system.

ResourcesMcDougal, Wendy, Mrs. "Alveoli: Function, Definition & Sacs." Education Protal. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Nov. 2014. <http://education-portal.com/academy/lesson/alveoli-function-definition-sacs.html#lesson>

Biology: The Unity and Diversity of Life. 9th ed. Pacific Grove, CA: Jack C. Carey, 2001. Print.

"Blood Components." Anthro Palomr EDU. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Nov. 2014. <http://anthro.palomar.edu/

blood/blood_components.htm>.

"Diaphragm (muscle)." MedicineNet. Web. 14 Nov. 2014 <http://www.medicinenet.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=2983>

"Human Biology: Circulatory and Respiratory Systems." Human Biology: Circulatory and Respiratory Systems. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Nov. 2014. <http://biology.clc.uc.edu/courses/bio171/circulatory.htm.

Oxygen Transport Presentation. Ed. Jennifer Pinto. Youtube. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Nov. 2014. <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CdEOQUy_FSw>.