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A level PE Flashcards > Topic 1 Chapter 3: 1.2.1 - 1.2.4 - The Cardio-Respiratory System > Flashcards

Topic 1 Chapter 3: 1.2.1 - 1.2.4 - The Cardio-Respiratory System Flashcards

(102 cards)

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1
Q

What is the correct order of the airway pathway from nose to alveoli?

A

Nasal Cavity → Pharynx → Larynx → Trachea → Bronchi → Bronchioles → Respiratory Bronchioles → Alveolar Ducts → Alveoli

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2
Q

What is the pulmonary pleura?

A

A self-enclosed serous membrane covering the lungs that lines the thoracic cavity and diaphragm.

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3
Q

What is the function of pleural fluid?

A

Reduces friction between lung tissue and ribs, aiding inspiration and expiration by adjusting pleural pressure.

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4
Q

What are alveoli and their function?

A

Elastic, moist, permeable air sacs surrounded by capillaries, adapted for gaseous exchange (O₂ in, CO₂ out).

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5
Q

What is pulmonary ventilation?

A

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

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6
Q

Which part of the brain controls pulmonary ventilation?

A

The medulla oblongata, part of the autonomic nervous system.

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7
Q

What factors influence pulmonary ventilation?

A

Blood pH, CO₂ levels, O₂ levels, detected by chemoreceptors.

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8
Q

Why can the respiratory system be a limiting factor in fitness?

A

Its efficiency may limit oxygen delivery and CO₂ removal during intense activity.

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9
Q

What is the structure and function of elastic arteries (e.g., aorta)?

A

Thin-walled with large diameter, elastic fibers for stretching and recoiling with ventricular pressure to transport blood at high pressure.

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10
Q

How do muscular arteries regulate blood flow?

A

Their smooth muscle controls lumen size via vasoconstriction and vasodilation.

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11
Q

What is the function of arterioles?

A

Regulate blood inflow to capillary beds via smooth muscle contraction and relaxation.

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12
Q

What do pre-capillary sphincters do?

A

Control blood inflow into capillary beds by contracting or relaxing.

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13
Q

What is the function of capillaries?

A

Exchange nutrients (O₂, glucose) and waste products (CO₂, urea) between blood and tissues.

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14
Q

How does blood pressure change in capillaries?

A

Blood pressure is very low due to maximum vessel cross-sectional area.

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15
Q

What is the role of venules?

A

Collect blood from capillaries and transport it at low pressure toward veins.

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16
Q

How do muscular veins help blood flow?

A

Contain pocket valves and are assisted by muscle contraction (skeletal muscle pump).

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17
Q

What helps prevent backflow in veins?

A

Pocket (non-return) valves.

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18
Q

What is unique about the venae cavae?

A

They are valveless and use smooth muscle for venomotor control to return blood to the heart.

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19
Q

What is the venous return mechanism?

A

The process of returning blood to the right side of the heart.

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20
Q

Name 3 factors that aid venous return

A

Gravity, skeletal muscle pump, respiratory pump, pocket valves, venomotor control.

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21
Q

What initiates the heartbeat?

A

The sinoatrial (SA) node, also called the pacemaker.

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22
Q

What is meant by the heart being myogenic?

A

It generates its own electrical impulses.

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23
Q

What is atrial systole?

A

The contraction of the atrial walls after impulse from the SA node reaches the AV node.

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24
Q

Describe the path of the cardiac impulse.

A

SA node → atria → AV node → bundle of His → Purkinje fibres → ventricles contract.

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25
What is ventricular systole?
The contraction of both ventricles after the impulse travels through the bundle of His and Purkinje fibres.
26
What causes breathing to occur?
Changes in air (intrapulmonary) pressure relative to atmospheric pressure, driven by diaphragm and intercostal muscles.
27
What part of the brain controls breathing?
The medulla oblongata (autonomic nervous system).
28
What muscles are involved in inspiration at rest?
External intercostal muscles and diaphragm contract.
29
What happens to the diaphragm during inspiration?
It contracts and flattens.
30
What happens to lung volume during inspiration?
Lung volume increases and pressure drops below atmospheric, drawing air in.
31
What is expiration at rest primarily?
A passive process where intercostals and diaphragm relax, reducing lung volume.
32
What additional muscles are used during inspiration in exercise?
Scalenes, sternocleidomastoid, pectoralis major/minor.
33
What happens during expiration in exercise?
Internal intercostal and abdominal muscles contract forcefully to expel air faster.
34
Why is breathing more forceful during exercise?
To increase oxygen intake and remove CO₂ more efficiently.
35
What is diffusion?
The movement of molecules from an area of high concentration to an area of low concentration.
36
What is partial pressure?
The pressure a gas exerts within a mixture. It's directly related to the concentration of the gas in a space.
37
What is gaseous exchange?
The diffusion of oxygen from alveoli into blood and carbon dioxide from blood into alveoli across single-cell membranes.
38
What does haemoglobin do?
It carries oxygen in the blood by forming oxyhaemoglobin.
39
Where is myoglobin found and what does it do?
Found in muscle cells, it transfers oxygen from the blood to the mitochondria for respiration.
40
How does myoglobin's affinity for oxygen differ to haemoglobin?
It has a much higher affinity for oxygen than haemoglobin.
41
What is the pO₂ in the alveoli compared to arriving blood?
Higher in the alveoli, causing O₂ to diffuse into the blood.
42
What is the pCO₂ in arriving blood compared to alveoli?
Higher in blood, so CO₂ diffuses into the alveoli.
43
What does the oxyhaemoglobin dissociation curve show?
It shows how saturated haemoglobin is with oxygen at different pO₂ levels.
44
At 13.3 kPa, what % of haemoglobin is saturated with O₂?
About 98%.
45
What does the Bohr effect do?
It makes haemoglobin release oxygen more readily to working muscles.
46
What causes the Bohr shift?
Increased temperature, pCO₂, and acidity (lower pH) during exercise.
47
What causes the drop in pO₂ during exercise?
An increase in pCO₂ and a resulting drop in blood pH.
48
Why is the Bohr effect important during exercise?
It helps deliver more oxygen to muscles, supports energy production, and reduces fatigue.
49
What is Total Lung Capacity (TLC)
The total volume of air in the lungs following maximum inspiration.
50
What is Vital Capacity (VC)?
The maximum volume of air that can be forcibly expired following maximum inspiration.
51
What is Tidal Volume (TV)?
The volume of air inspired or expired per breath.
52
What is Inspiratory Reserve Volume (IRV)?
The volume of air that can be forcibly inspired above resting tidal volume.
53
What is Expiratory Reserve Volume (ERV)?
The volume of air that can be forcibly expired above resting tidal volume.
54
What is Residual Volume (RV)?
The volume of air remaining in the lungs after maximal expiration.
55
What is Minute Ventilation (VE)?
The volume of air inspired or expired in one minute (TV × breathing frequency).
56
What is Inspiratory Capacity (IC)?
IC = TV + IRV (3600 ml).
57
What is Expiratory Capacity (EC)?
EC = TV + ERV (1800 ml).
58
What is Functional Residual Capacity (FRC)?
FRC = RV + ERV (2400 ml).
59
What is Total Lung Capacity (TLC)?
TLC = VC + RV (6000 ml).
60
How does smoking affect alveoli?
It damages alveoli, reducing lung capacity and elasticity, limiting oxygen delivery.
61
What chronic diseases are linked to smoking?
COPD, bronchitis, and emphysema.
62
How does smoking affect cilia in the lungs?
It destroys cilia, increasing the risk of respiratory infections.
63
How does exercise affect respiratory muscles?
Strengthens respiratory muscles like the diaphragm.
64
How does exercise affect tidal volume?
Increases tidal volume, improving oxygen delivery.
65
How does exercise affect gas exchange efficiency?
Improves efficiency in alveoli, allowing more oxygen in and more CO₂ out.
66
What causes the anticipatory rise in VE before exercise?
Hormonal action of adrenaline and noradrenaline on the brain’s respiratory centre.
67
What causes the rapid rise in VE at the start of exercise?
Proprioceptor stimulation and continued hormone release.
68
What happens to VE during submaximal exercise?
VE levels off as oxygen supply meets demand (steady state).
69
What causes continued VE rise at maximal workloads?
Build-up of lactic acid, CO₂, and K+ stimulates chemoreceptors.
70
What happens to VE when exercise ends?
Rapid decline due to withdrawal of stimuli, followed by a slower return to resting levels.
71
Where is the Respiratory Control Centre (RCC) located?
In the medulla oblongata of the brain.
72
What two main factors does the RCC control?
Breathing frequency (rate) and tidal volume (depth).
73
What are the two parts of the RCC?
The inspiratory and expiratory centres.
74
What does the inspiratory centre do at rest?
Sends impulses to the diaphragm and external intercostals for normal breathing.
75
What does the expiratory centre do during forceful breathing?
Stimulates muscles of expiration (e.g., sternocleidomastoid, scalenes, pecs) to increase breathing rate.
76
What does the apneustic centre control?
It controls the intensity of breathing by prolonging the firing of inspiratory neurons, increasing tidal volume (TV).
77
What is the role of the pneumotaxic centre?
It fine-tunes breathing rate (f) by antagonising the apneustic centre.
78
What type of feedback system is breathing control an example of?
Negative feedback control.
79
How does an increase in CO₂ in venous blood affect breathing?
It increases the breathing rate to help expel CO₂ and maintain homeostasis.
80
What primarily regulates pulmonary ventilation at rest?
The chemical state of the blood.
81
What do central chemoreceptors detect?
Increased pCO₂ and acidity (low pH) in the blood.
82
Where are central chemoreceptors located?
In the medulla oblongata.
83
What do peripheral chemoreceptors detect?
Changes in pCO₂, pO₂, and pH levels.
84
Where are peripheral chemoreceptors located?
In the aortic and carotid bodies.
85
What do chemoreceptors do when detecting chemical changes?
They send messages to the inspiratory centre to increase breathing rate and depth.
86
How do high altitudes affect breathing?
Low oxygen levels stimulate chemoreceptors to increase ventilation, even without exercise.
87
What do muscle proprioceptors do during exercise?
They signal muscle tension to the RCC, increasing breathing rate and depth.
88
What reflex prevents over-inflation of the lungs?
The Hering-Breuer Reflex.
89
What are lung stretch receptors and where are they located?
They are proprioceptors in bronchi and bronchioles that prevent lung over-inflation.
90
How does temperature affect breathing?
Thermoreceptors in the hypothalamus stimulate the RCC to increase ventilation during exercise.
91
How do irritant receptors influence breathing?
Touch, thermal, and pain receptors can stimulate the RCC to modify breathing rate.
92
How can higher brain centres affect ventilation?
The cerebral cortex can consciously control breathing (e.g., hyperventilation in swimming).
93
What effect does emotion have on ventilation?
Emotions influence breathing via the limbic system.
94
How does long-term aerobic exercise affect breathing rate and depth?
It increases both, fully utilising vital capacity and increasing breathing frequency (f).
95
What happens to respiratory muscles with regular training?
The diaphragm and intercostals become stronger and more resistant to fatigue.
96
How does exercise affect alveolar efficiency?
It increases blood flow to the lungs’ upper lobes, improving alveolar oxygen transfer.
97
What is the effect of long-term exercise on VO₂max?
It increases VO₂max during intense aerobic workloads due to improved gas exchange.
98
What happens to VO₂ at submaximal workloads after training?
VO₂ decreases because of improved oxygen uptake efficiency.
99
How does long-term exercise affect tidal volume and vital capacity?
Both increase, often at the expense of residual volume (RV).
100
How does long-term exercise influence recovery and oxygen debt?
It improves recovery time and reduces oxygen debt during exercise.
101
What happens to breathing rate at submaximal workloads after training?
It slightly decreases due to improved efficiency.
102
What happens to breathing rate at maximal workloads after training?
It increases significantly, raising minute ventilation values.

A level PE Flashcards (13 decks)

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