Respiratory System Notes

Question 1

What is the primary function of the respiratory system?

Answer 1

A series of organs responsible for taking in oxygen and expelling carbon dioxide.

Question 2

What waste product is produced from aerobic cellular respiration?

Answer 2

Carbon dioxide.

Question 3

What is the role of blood in relation to oxygen and carbon dioxide?

Answer 3

Transports oxygen to all the cells of the body and carries carbon dioxide to the lungs to expel.

Question 4

What are the primary organs of the respiratory system?

Answer 4

Lungs.

Question 5

What is external respiration?

Answer 5

The exchange of gases between the atmosphere and the blood.

Question 6

What is internal respiration?

Answer 6

The exchange of gases between the blood and the cells of the body.

Question 7

How many lobes does the right lung have?

Answer 7

Three lobes.

Question 8

How many lobes does the left lung have?

Answer 8

Two lobes.

Question 9

What are pleura?

Answer 9

Membranes that encase the lungs and secrete a slippery fluid that decreases friction from the movement caused by breathing.

Question 10

What is the pathway of external respiration?

Answer 10

Nose and nasal cavity → Pharynx → Larynx → Trachea → Bronchi → Bronchioles → Alveoli of the lungs.

Question 11

Fill in the blank: Air filters through the small hairs of the nose and passes into the _______.

Answer 11

Nasal cavity.

Question 12

What do the mucous membranes in the nasal cavity do?

Answer 12

Warm and moisten the air.

Question 13

True or False: The left lung is heavier than the right lung.

Answer 13

False.

Question 14

What is the purpose of the slippery fluid secreted by the pleura?

Answer 14

Decreases friction from the movement caused by breathing.

Question 15

What are the tiny hair-like structures that line the walls of the nasal cavity and trachea?

Answer 15

Cilia

Cilia trap particles that are inhaled and sweep them into the throat to be swallowed.

Question 16

What is the function of the pharynx?

Answer 16

Contains passageways for both food and air

Question 17

What covers the opening to the air passage when food is swallowed?

Answer 17

Epiglottis

Question 18

What happens to the epiglottis when air is taken in?

Answer 18

It is in an upright position and allows air to enter the trachea.

Question 19

What is the upper end of the trachea called?

Answer 19

Larynx

Question 20

How is sound produced in the larynx?

Answer 20

When air is forced past vocal cords stretched across the larynx.

Question 21

What factors affect the pitch and volume of sound produced by the vocal cords?

Answer 21

Amount of tension on the vocal cords and amount of air being forced past them.

Question 22

What is the length of the trachea?

Answer 22

10-12 cm long

Question 23

List the functions of the trachea.

Answer 23

• Warm the air
• Moisten the air
• Filter the air

Question 24

What structures line the trachea?

Answer 24

Ciliated cells and mucous

Question 25

What protects the trachea from collapsing?

Answer 25

Cartilaginous rings

Question 26

What do the bronchi branch into?

Answer 26

Bronchioles

Question 27

What is the function of the bronchi?

Answer 27

Warm, moisten, and filter the air

Question 28

What type of muscle surrounds the bronchioles?

Answer 28

Smooth muscle

Question 29

What is the function of bronchioles?

Answer 29

Control the rate of breathing by contracting or expanding

Question 30

What is asthma?

Answer 30

A long-term inflammatory disease with reversible airflow constriction, wheezing, chest tightness, coughing, and shortness of breath.

Question 31

What are the clusters of tiny air sacs at the end of bronchioles called?

Answer 31

Alveoli

Question 32

Which lung has an upper lobe, middle lobe, and lower lobe?

Answer 32

Right lung

Question 33

Fill in the blank: The left lung has a lower lobe and _______.

Answer 33

[Upper lobe and middle lobe are absent]

Question 34

What are alveoli?

Answer 34

Clusters of tiny air sacs with a network of capillaries ## Footnote Alveoli have a surface area of 70m², which is 40 times the surface area of the skin.

Question 35

What is emphysema?

Answer 35

A condition where alveoli don't work due to overstretching, primarily caused by smoking ## Footnote Emphysema affects gas exchange in the lungs.

Question 36

What gases are exchanged between the alveoli and the blood?

Answer 36

Oxygen (O2) and carbon dioxide (CO2) ## Footnote Air moving into the alveoli is rich in O2 and low in CO2.

Question 37

How does oxygen (O2) enter the blood?

Answer 37

O2 diffuses across the thin alveolar membranes and capillary walls ## Footnote Blood in the capillaries is low in O2 and high in CO2.

Question 38

What process allows carbon dioxide (CO2) to enter the alveolus?

Answer 38

Diffusion ## Footnote CO2 moves from the blood, across the capillary walls and thin alveolar membranes.

Question 39

What is the concentration gradient for gases during gas exchange?

Answer 39

Concentration gradients exist for both O2 and CO2 ## Footnote O2 moves into the blood while CO2 moves into the alveolus.

Question 40

What percentage of oxygen (O2) dissolves in the plasma?

Answer 40

Only a small amount ## Footnote Most (97%) of the O2 moves into red blood cells (RBC) and binds to hemoglobin.

Question 41

What can hemoglobin carry?

Answer 41

Up to 400 O2 molecules ## Footnote Hemoglobin is essential for transporting oxygen in the blood.

Question 42

What happens when oxygenated blood reaches the cells?

Answer 42

O2 is released from hemoglobin and diffuses out of the capillaries into the cells ## Footnote The concentration of O2 is higher in the bloodstream than in the cells.

Question 43

What is the concentration of carbon dioxide (CO2) in the cells compared to the bloodstream?

Answer 43

Higher in the cells ## Footnote This allows CO2 to diffuse out into the bloodstream.

Question 44

What percentage of carbon dioxide (CO2) binds to hemoglobin?

Answer 44

About 25% ## Footnote The remaining CO2 dissolves in the plasma or is converted to bicarbonate.

Question 45

Fill in the blank: The surface area of the alveoli is __________.

Answer 45

70m²

Question 46

True or False: Emphysema is primarily caused by pollution.

Answer 46

False ## Footnote Emphysema is primarily caused by smoking.

Question 47

What percentage of carbon dioxide remains in the blood after gas exchange?

Answer 47

61%

Question 48

What molecule is formed when carbon dioxide reacts with water in the plasma?

Answer 48

Carbonic acid (H2CO3)

Question 49

What does carbonic acid dissociate into?

Answer 49

Bicarbonate ions and a proton (H+)

Question 50

What effect do H+ ions have on the blood?

Answer 50

They make the blood acidic.

Question 51

What is the process called when oxygen is loaded into the blood and carbon dioxide is unloaded in the lungs?

Answer 51

External respiration (Pulmonary gas exchange)

Question 52

What are the air sacs in the lungs called?

Answer 52

Alveoli

Question 53

In external respiration, what is loaded into the blood?

Answer 53

Oxygen (O2)

Question 54

In external respiration, what is unloaded from the blood?

Answer 54

Carbon dioxide (CO2)

Question 55

What occurs during internal respiration in body tissues?

Answer 55

Oxygen is unloaded and carbon dioxide is loaded into the blood.

Question 56

What chemical reaction occurs when CO2 and H2O combine in tissues?

Answer 56

CO2 + H2O → H2CO3 → H+ + HCO3-

Question 57

What is breathing?

Answer 57

The process of moving air into and out of the lungs.

Question 58

What is inspiration?

Answer 58

The process of taking air into the lungs.

Question 59

What happens to the diaphragm during inspiration?

Answer 59

It flattens.

Question 60

What occurs to the volume of the thoracic cavity during inspiration?

Answer 60

It increases.

Question 61

What is the result of the increase in thoracic cavity volume during inspiration?

Answer 61

Air from the atmosphere moves into the lungs.

Question 62

What is expiration?

Answer 62

The process of expelling air from the lungs.

Question 63

What happens to the diaphragm and rib muscles during expiration?

Answer 63

They relax.

Question 64

Fill in the blank: During inspiration, the volume of the thoracic cavity _______.

Answer 64

increases

Question 65

True or False: During expiration, the diaphragm moves upwards.

Answer 65

True