Warning: terminology!
• “Respiration” is used several different
ways:
– Cellular respiration is the aerobic
breakdown of glucose in the mitochondria to
make ATP.
– Respiratory systems are the organs in
animals that exchange gases with the
environment.
– “Respiration” is an everyday term that is
often used to mean “breathing.”
Respiratory system function
• Respiratory systems allow animals to
move oxygen (needed for cellular
respiration) into body tissues and
remove carbon dioxide (waste product of
cellular respiration) from cells.
What is the
respiratory
system?
The respiratory system
consists of the nose,
pharynx (FAIR inks),
larynx (LAIR inks),
trachea (TRAY kee ah),
bronchi (BRAHN kye),
and lungs.
The primary function of this system is to furnish
oxygen for individual tissue cells, and to take
away the waste products and carbon dioxide
produced by those same cells.
External & internal respiration…
Ventilating the lungs
External respiration
is the process of
inhaling oxygen into
the lungs, and
exhaling carbon
dioxide. That
Internal respiration is the
process includes the
metabolic process by which
ventilation of the
living cells use blood
lungs and the
flowing through the
exchange of air in
capillaries, absorbing the
the lungs and blood
oxygen (O2 )they need and
within the capillaries
releasing the carbon dioxide
of the alveoli of the
(CO2)they create.
lungs.
The nose…
The external opening of
the nose is the nostrils
or anterior nares.
The dividing partition
between the nostrils is the
nasal septum, which forms
two nasal cavities.
Each cavity is divided into
3 air passages: the
superior, middle, and
inferior conchae (KON kuh).
The nose…
The conchae passages lead to
the passageway called the
pharnyx. Here, the ear is
connected to the sinuses, the
ears through the eustachian
tubes, and even the eyes
through the nasolacrimal ducts.
The nose…
The palatine (palate)
bones and maxilla (upper
jaw bone) separate the
nasal cavities from the
mouth cavity. Cilia (hairs)
line the mucous
membrane. About 1 qt. of
mucous is produced daily.
Maxillae
The nose…
The nose has 5 functions:
1. It serves as an air passageway.
2. It warms and moistens inhaled air.
3. Its cilia and mucous membrane trap dust, pollen,
bacteria, and foreign matter.
4. It contains olfactory receptors, which smell odors.
5. It aids in phonation and the quality of voice.
The nose… Did you guess the owners of these noses?
Owen Wilson, Barbra Streisand, Tom Cruise, Michael Jackson
Ellen Barkin, Adrien Brody, Gerald Depardieu, Tori Spelling
The pharynx… The pharynx is
the correct term
for the throat.
It is a muscular
and
membranous
tube that is
about 5 inches
long, extending
downward from
the base of the
The nasopharynx is behind the skull. It
nose; the oropharynx is behind eventually
the mouth; the laryngopharynx becomes the
is behind the larynx. esophagus.
The pharynx…
There are 7 openings
into the pharynx.
In the nasopharynx,
there are two
openings from the
eustachian tubes of
the ear , and two
openings from the
posterior nares of the
nose .
In the oropharnyx is
one opening from the
mouth .
The pharynx…
The pharynx also
contains 3 pairs of
tissues that are part
of the lymphatic
system:
1. the pharyngeal tonsils… the adenoids
2. the palatine tonsils
3. the lingual tonsils
The pharynx has 3 functions:
1. serves as a passageway for air
2. serves as a passageway for food
3. aids in phonation by changing its shape.
The larynx…
The larynx, commonly called the
voicebox, is located at the upper
end of the trachea, below the root
of the tongue and hyoid bone. It is
lined with mucous membrane.
The larynx contains vocal
cords, which produce sound.
Short, tense vocal cords produce high notes;
long relaxed vocal cords produce low notes.
The larynx… Epiglottis
We can see several of the
cartilage structures of the Thyroid
cartilage
larynx in this side view:
1. The thyroid cartilage or
Adam’s apple is usually
larger in the male,
allowing longer vocal
Cricoid
cords and contributing to cartilage
a deeper male voice
2. The epiglottis covers the entrance of the
larynx while swallowing, to avoid choking
3. The cricoid (KRY koid) cartilage contains the
vocal cords
The trachea… a smooth, muscular tube
The trachea or windpipe is
leading from the larynx to
the main bronchi.
C-shaped rings
Trachea of cartilage
provide
Cartilage rings prevent protection on the
crushing of the trachea front and sides
The trachea…
The trachea is the passageway for air to and from
the lungs. It is lined with cilia (hairs), which
sweep foreign matter out of the pathway. It is only
about 1 inch in diameter and 4 ½ inches long.
The bronchi…
The bronchi are the
two main branches
at the bottom of
the trachea,
providing
passageway for air
to the lungs. The
trachea divides
into the right As the branches of the
bronchus and the bronchial tree get smaller,
left bronchus, and the 2 primary bronchi
then divides become bronchioles, and
further into the then very small alveolar
bronchial tree. (al VEE ah ler) ducts.
The bronchi…
The left bronchi is
smaller than the right
bronchi, because room
is needed to
accommodate the heart.
If a foreign body is inhaled
or aspirated (drawn by
suction), it usually lodges
in the larger right bronchi
(as shown in this Xray) or
enters the right lung.
The bronchi…
In the presence of infection, the bronchi
sometimes become inflamed, resulting in a
diagnosis of bronchitis.
The lungs…
The lungs are two spongy organs
located in the thorax. They
consist of elastic tissue, filled
with an interlacing network of
tubes and sacs that carry air and
blood vessels that carry blood.
Each lung is divided into lobes,
the right lung into 3 lobes and
the left lung into 2. The left lung
has an indentation called the
cardiac depression or notch…
for placement of the heart.
At the end of each bronchiole
The lungs… are the alveoli (al VEE oh lye).
The lungs contain about 300
million alveoli sacs, which are
the air cells where the
exchange of oxygen and
carbon dioxide takes place with
the capillaries. .
Deoxygenated blood comes
in and drops off CO2;
oxygenated blood goes out.
The base of the lungs rest
The lungs… on the diaphragm, a
muscular wall separating
the thorax from the
abdominal cavity. It is
involved in respiration,
drawing downward in the
chest during inhalation,
and pushing upward
during exhalation.
Tidal volume refers to the amount
of air inhaled or exhaled during
normal breathing… about 500 ml.
Total lung capacity is 3.6-9.4 liters
in an average male.
The lungs…
Pathogens, white
cells and immune
proteins present
during an infection
may cause the air
sacs to become
inflamed and filled
with fluid.
This is characteristic of pneumonia. If both lungs
are involved, it is termed as double pneumonia.
If someone is unconscious, it’s possible to aspirate
stomach contents into the lungs, causing
aspiration pneumonia.
Vital signs… Vital signs, essential
elements for determining
an individual’s state of
health, include
temperature, pulse,
respiration, and blood
pressure. A deviation
from normal of any or all
of the vital signs indicates
The normal respiration a state of illness, and can
rate for a 5 year old is be used by the physician
20-25 breaths per in a diagnosis, prognosis
minute; for someone (prospects of survival and
15 years or older is 15- recovery), and treatment.
20 breaths per minute.
Summary of FUNCTIONS
STRUCTURE FUNCTION
nose / nasal cavity warms, moistens, & filters air as it is inhaled
pharynx (throat) passageway for air, leads to trachea
larynx the voice box, where vocal chords are located
tube from pharynx to bronchi
rings of cartilage provide structure, keeps the
windpipe "open"trachea is lined with fine hairs called
trachea (windpipe) cilia which filter air before it reaches the lungs
two branches at the end of the trachea, each lead to a
bronchi lung
a network of smaller branches leading from the
bronchioles bronchi into the lung tissue & ultimately to air sacs
the functional respiratory units in the lung where
alveoli gases (oxygen & carbon dioxide) are exchanged
(enter & exit the blood stream)
Gas exchange by Diffusion
• Some
animals
simply allow
gases to
diffuse
through their
skins.
Gas exchange by Diffusion
Some animals, such
as amphibians and
earthworms, can use their
skin (integument) to
exchange gases between
the external environment
and the circulatory system
due to the network of
capillaries that lie below
the skin.
Gas exchange by Diffusion
• Fish and other aquatic organisms
use gills to take up oxygen
dissolved in the water and diffuse
carbon dioxide out of the
bloodstream.
Fish Gills
• Fish increase gas
exchange efficiency
using countercurrent
exchange.
• Running blood
through the system in
the opposite direction
to water keeps a
diffusion gradient
throughout the entire
exchange.
Specialized structures
some insects
utilize a tracheal
system that
transports
oxygen from the
external
environment
through openings
called spiracles.
Insect respiration is independent of its
circulatory system; therefore, the blood
does not play a direct role in oxygen
transport. Insects have a highly-
specialized type of respiratory system
called the tracheal system, which
consists of a network of small tubes that
carries oxygen to the entire body. The
tracheal system, the most direct and
efficient respiratory system in active
animals, has tubes made of a polymeric
material called chitin.
Insect bodies have openings, called
spiracles, along the thorax and
abdomen. These openings connect to
the tubular network, allowing oxygen
to pass into the body, regulating the
diffusion of CO2 and water vapor. Air
enters and leaves the tracheal
system through the spiracles. Some
insects can ventilate the tracheal
system with body movements.
Gills exchange gases in fish. What is the
site of gas exchange in mammals?
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Gas Exchange in Plants
Gas exchange in the leaves
occurs through the stomata on
the lower epidermis. Most
plants,
including dicotyledonous
plants, use the stoma for gas
exchange.
Stoma (singular) are openings
which allow for the exchange of
carbon dioxide and oxygen. They
are opened by ions (mainly K+)
which move in via active
transport, which allows water
loss, something that needs to
stay balanced.
Stomata open in response to
guard cells bending due to
becoming turgid (and uneven
thickness in the walls). Water
moves in via osmosis due to
the water potential being
decreased.
Unlike other organisms, plants
are reliant on both oxygen and
carbon dioxide for processes
such as photosynthesis and
respiration:
• During photosynthesis, which occurs in
most plants during the day (favourable
conditions), plants take in carbon dioxide
through the open stoma and release
oxygen into the environment.
• During respiration, which occurs in most
plants at night, plants take in oxygen
through the closed stoma and release
carbon dioxide into the environment.
• Both carbon dioxide and oxygen enter and
exit through the stoma by simple diffusion
down their concentration gradients.
