Year 1 - Respiratory System Flashcards
(38 cards)
What is oxygen needed for?
Aerobic respiration (which releases energy from our food)
What is carbon dioxide?
It is a waste product of respiration, which must be exhaled from the body
What is haemoglobin?
Protein in erythrocytes that transport oxygen
What are ham groups?
Iron-containing molecules in haemoglobin that actually bind oxygen
What can each haemoglobin molecule carry?
Four oxygen molecules
Why do erythrocytes have no nucleus?
To fit in more haemoglobin
Why is the surface area of erythrocyte cell membrane due to the biconcave disc?
For oxygen to diffuse across
Why are erythrocytes tiny and flexible?
So they can squeeze through the narrowest of blood capillaries to deliver oxygen
5% of carbon dioxide…
Is transported dissolved in the plasma
10% of carbon dioxide…
Is transported as carbaminohaemoglobin
85% of carbon dioxide…
Is transported as hydrogen carbonate ions in the plasma
What is carbonic anhydrase?
Enzyme that catalyses the reaction between carbon dioxide and water to form carbonic acid
What does carbonic acid break down and why?
It breaks down into hydrogen carbonate ion and a hydrogen ion because it is unstable
Where do hydrogen carbonate ions go after being formed the erythrocyte?
They diffuse back into the plasma
What is the reaction that forms hydrogen carbonate ions?
They are reversible, which means carbon dioxide can be reformed to be exhaled
What are the lungs?
An organ that exchanges oxygen and carbon dioxide with the blood
What is the trachea?
Allows are to pass to and from lungs
What are the bronchi?
Tubes (right and left) branching off from the trachea and into the lungs
What are the bronchioles?
Airways in the lungs that lead from the bronchi to the alveoli
What are the alveoli?
Tiny sacs, found at the ends of the bronchioles, that are the actual site of gas exchange with the blood
What are the characteristics of the walls of the alveolus?
Is only one cell thick, keeping diffusion short
What are the pleural membranes?
Two membranes surrounding the lungs. The gap between the membranes is filled with pleural fluid.
What are the ribs?
The bones in the chest that protect the heart and lungs.
What is the diaphragm?
Large, flat muscle at the bottom of the thoracic activity that helps with breathing
