Respiratory System

Question 1

pleural cavity

Answer 1

fluid filled space between visceral and parietal layers of the lungs

pleural cavity will become subatomic as air flows in and will return to normal as air flows out

Question 2

conducting zone

Answer 2

nose, pharynx, larynx, trachea, bronchi, and bronchioles

provide passages for air to travel to and from respiratory zone where they are capable of gas exchange

Question 3

alveoli

Answer 3

where the majority of gas exchange occurs

located at the ends of the respiratory tract branches

have very thin walls that allow oxygen and CO2 to diffuse between bloodstream and pulmonary capillaries

small size and sheer number lead to increased surface area

Question 4

What does respiratory rate depend most on?

Answer 4

P CO2 in the blood

measured by central and peripheral chemoreceptors

H20 + CO2 H2CO3 H+ + HCO3-

Question 5

central chemoreceptors

Answer 5

located in the brain

critical sensor of arterial carbon dioxide

maintains respiratory rate

Question 6

peripheral chemoreceptors

Answer 6

found in aortic and carotid arteries

detect changes in chemical concentration in the blood

Question 7

how does the body response to respiratory acidosis?

Answer 7

the blood pH is too low so will increase respiratory rate to cause hyperventilation that will remove excess CO2 from the body

Question 8

nasal hairs

Answer 8

use cilia to filter out large particulates

Question 9

mucociliary escalator

Answer 9

specialized cells lining the upper respiratory tract that produces mucus which traps bacteria and particulates

ciliated cells beat synchronously to sweep foreign bodies trapped in mucus up the respiratory tract to pharynx where it can either be coughed or swallowed (the dissolved by acid in the stomach)

Question 10

alveolar macrophages

Answer 10

white blood cells that phagocytose foreign materials that reach alveoli

Question 11

excessive hyperventilation

Answer 11

depleted blood CO2 which makes the blood basic and increases affinity for O2 binding and therefore results in less delivery of oxygen to tissues as hemoglobin fails to release it

as CO2 is removed, equilibrium shifts to favor consumption of carbonic acid and bicarbonate

Question 12

negative pressure breathing

Answer 12

when the diaphragm contracts, the pleural cavity expands and will cause the lungs to expand with it. The extra space will follow Boyle’s law. As volume goes up, pressure goes down –> therefore the intrapleural pressure will decrease

Question 13

positive pressure breathing

Answer 13

occurs when the lungs are unable to take it air themselves

a ventilator will pump air directly into the lungs which increases the alveolar pressure

Question 14

What controls the respiration rate?

Answer 14

medulla oblingata which is part of the hindbrain - myelencephalon

Question 15

components of diaphragm

Answer 15

the diaphragm is made up of skeletal muscle which is controlled by acetylcholine

it is innervated by the phrenic nerve

Question 16

phrenic nerve

Answer 16

a nerve which is important for breathing because it provides exclusive motor control of the diaphragm

it has a voluntary portion through the cerebral cortex and an involuntary portion through the brainstem