Respiration 2

The Respiratory System
 Key Concepts
 What are the functions
of the respiratory
system?
 What structures does air
pass through as it
travels to the lungs?
 What happens during
gas exchange and
breathing?
Key Terms
 Respiration  Lungs
 Cilia  Alveoli
 Pharynx  Diaphragm
 Trachea  Larynx
 Bronchi  Vocal cords
The Respiratory System
 Main Functions:
 Moves oxygen from the outside environment
into the body. It also removes carbon dioxide
and water from the body
◼ Taking in Oxygen– oxygen is needed for
respiration (the energy releasing process in
cells)
◼ Removing Carbon Dioxide and Water - CO2
and water are produced during respiration.
They are eliminated through your lungs.
Systems Working Together
 Works with digestive and circulatory

system
 Respiratory System brings oxygen into
lungs
 Digestive system absorbs glucose from
food
 Circulatory system carries oxygen and
glucose to cells for respiration
The Nose
 Air must travel through nose, pharynx, trachea
and bronchi to get to lungs
 Usually enters through nose and moves into the
nasal cavities
 Cells in nasal cavities make mucus which
moistens the air and keeps the lining from drying
out. Mucus also traps particles such as dust
 Cells that line the nasal cavities have cilia; tiny
hair-like extensions . The cilia sweep the mucus
into the throat, where you swallow it. Stomach
acids destroy the mucus and any germs in it
 If particles irritate the nose or throat, you sneeze
http://www.umm.edu/respiratory/anatomy.htm
The Pharynx
 Next air enters the pharynx or throat
 Shared with the digestive system.
Nose and mouth connect to the
pharynx
The Trachea
 Trachea is also known as the windpipe
 Bumps are cartilage, held together by smooth
muscle
 Trachea is lined with cilia and mucus which
continues to filter the air. Cilia move the trapped
particles up to mouth or nose to exit
 If particles irritate the trachea it triggers a cough
 Epiglottis keeps food from entering the trachea. If
is does, a person can choke
http://www.trine-
metcalf.com/asbestos/respiratory2.html
The Bronchi and Lungs
 Trachea branches into 2 tubes – left and right
bronchi. Left enters left lung and right enters
right lung
 Inside lungs the bronchi divide again and
again like branches of a tree until they are
tiny tubes
 At the end of tubes are hundreds of sacs
called alveoli
 Each alveolus is surrounded by capillaries
 Blood picks up O2 from air here
Bronchial
Tree
Gas Exchange
 Air enters an alveolus

 oxygen passes through the wall of the
alveolus and then through the capillary
wall into the blood.
 Carbon dioxide and water pass from the
blood into the alveoli.
http://www.gonzaga.k12.nf.ca/academics/science/sci_page/biology/respiratory2.gif
Surface Area for Gas
Exchange
 Adult lungs contain about 300 million
alveoli.
 If opened flat they would have a surface
area of 70 m2
 Huge surface area enables the lungs to
absorb a large amount of O2
How you Breathe
In an average day a person
breathes in and out 20,000 times.
Rate depends on how much
oxygen your body needs
Breathing is controlled by muscles
Ribs have muscles attached to
them
Base of lungs is the diaphragm, a
large dome shaped muscle
The Process of Breathing
 Breathe in (inhale)– rib muscles contract, lift chest
wall up and out
 Same time diaphragm contracts and moves
downward. Makes chest cavity larger
 The same amount of air occupies a larger space
causing the air pressure inside you to decrease
 Air pressure pushing on body is greater. Because of
this difference in air pressure, air rushes into the
lungs
 When you exhale or breathe out, the rib muscles and
diaphragm relax. The chest cavity size is smaller.
Decrease in size squeezes air out
clipart edited from Corel Presentations 8)
Relating Breathing and Speaking
 Larynx or voice box is located in the top part
of trachea underneath the epiglottis
 Vocal cords are 2 small folds of tissue that
are stretched across the larynx. There is a
slit-like opening between them. Air from your
lungs makes them vibrate as it moves out.
 The pitch of your voice changes as muscles
tighten or relax around your vocal cords
Smoking and Your Health
 Chemicals in tobacco smoke – over 4000

 Tar – dark, sticky substance that clumps cilia so
that they can’t function. Contains chemicals
shown to cause cancer
 Carbon monoxide – colorless, odorless gas.
Binds to hemoglobin, so red blood cells carry less
O2
 Nicotine – stimulant, makes heart beat faster and
increases blood pressure, produces an addiction
Health Problems and Smoking
 Chronic Bronchitis- irritation of breathing

passages, where small passages become
narrower and may be clogged with mucus,
difficulty breathing, can cause permanent
damage and increase in infections
 Emphysema – destroys lung tissue and causes
breathing difficulties, cannot get enough O2 or rid
of CO2
Health Problems and Smoking
 Lung Cancer – 140,000 Americans die each year from

lung cancer caused by smoking, tumors take away space
in lungs for gas exchange
 Atherosclerosis – Chemicals get into blood vessels and
irritate them, contributes to build up of fatty material
 Passive Smoking – people involuntarily inhale the smoke
from others’ cigarettes, contains same harmful chemicals,
associated with the development of bronchitis, and other
respiratory ailments such as asthma in about 300,000
children in US

Respiration 2

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The Respiratory System

 Works with digestive and circulatory

 Air enters an alveolus

 Chemicals in tobacco smoke – over 4000

 Chronic Bronchitis- irritation of breathing

 Lung Cancer – 140,000 Americans die each year from

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